Dallas police have arrested Antonio Banks, 36, in connection with a violent and seemingly random attack on a woman in Downtown Dallas, which has gained nationwide attention. Banks has been charged with aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury after surveillance footage showed him brazenly striking the woman from behind with a blunt object. The incident took place at the intersection of Elm and Field Streets last Thursday, and Banks appears to barely break stride as he walks away following the attack.
According to an arrest warrant, the victim, who works at the George Allen Courts building, had been walking through Downtown Dallas on her lunch break when the assault occurred. Banks allegedly began following her about 14 minutes before the attack, as seen on security footage from a nearby 7-Eleven on Elm Street. In the footage, Banks can be seen continuing to trail the woman before suddenly striking her with a blunt object covered in a red garment. The impact of the blow caused the woman to collapse immediately, rendering her unconscious and resulting in multiple gashes and facial fractures on the right side of her head.
The woman was rushed to the hospital, where she was treated for her injuries and is currently in stable condition. Jennifer Scripps, CEO and President of Downtown Dallas Inc., expressed concern about the severity and nature of the attack, stating that the brazen behavior displayed in the footage has disturbed all who have seen it. Scripps noted that the security officers from Downtown Dallas Inc. were among the first responders at the scene and assisted in gathering surveillance video to aid the police investigation.
“It’s not good for our city, it’s not for people who work down here and live down here,” Scripps said, emphasizing the negative impact this kind of violence has on the community.
Banks was already in Dallas County Jail on unrelated charges of criminal trespassing when detectives connected him to the assault. On Monday, Banks had been arrested for trespassing at the UNT System building on Main Street. While in custody, detectives matched his clothing and description from the surveillance footage to the suspect in the assault case and obtained a warrant for his arrest on charges of aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.
Jail records also revealed that Banks was on parole at the time of the attack, though it is unclear what prior crime or conviction his parole was related to. The affidavit for his arrest lists his address as a homeless shelter in Dallas, but it does not provide any details about a potential motive for the attack.
