Dallas police have arrested three men after investigating a viral video from New Year’s Eve showing a group firing constant rounds from AR-15s and other firearms on Interstate 30 in Downtown Dallas.
At a news conference Thursday, Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux said after reviewing the video, officers tracked down the men involved. The video shared on Instagram stories shows vehicles parked on the Margaret McDermott Bridge as the countdown at Reunion Tower glows in the background.
As the New Year is announced, the video shows two large assault rifles lying on the hood of a car then a man in a black hoodie shooting several rounds off the side of the highway to the ground below. Another man in a white cowboy hat joins in the shooting.
More than 100 shell casings were found near the scene, according to Comeaux.
Crime in The News
Police identified Anthony Acevedo, 20, and Jose Alarcon-Sanchez, 18, as two men seen in a viral social media video firing rounds off the Margaret McDermott Bridge on Jan. 1, 2026.
Dallas Police Department / Dallas Police Department
An Instagram story also shows one man shooting into a field from inside a moving vehicle, and then the man in the cowboy hat shooting near a building.
“This video went viral throughout the United States,” Comeaux said at the news conference. “Everyone got to see that criminal activity. I’m here to tell you, it won’t happen again in Dallas.”
Police identified Anthony Acevedo, 20, and Jose Alarcon-Sanchez, 18, both of Grand Prairie, as the two men seen in the video. During the investigation, Comeaux said detectives learned Alarcon-Sanchez had been arrested by the Grand Prairie Police Department for a similar offense in their city during the early morning of Jan. 1.
Acevedo was arrested by Dallas police on Tuesday, Deputy Chief William Griffith said at the news conference.
Police said they recovered five weapons, including AR-15-style rifles and handguns, Griffith said.
Dallas Police recovered five weapons, including AR-15-style rifles and handguns while investigating a viral video showing men firing constant rounds on Interstate-30 in Downtown Dallas on Jan. 1, 2026.
Dallas Police Department / Dallas Police Department
Evidence found at the scene of the bridge shooting also allowed Dallas police to arrest 25-year-old Anderson Derce Lara for a road rage incident that occurred in November, Griffith said.
Derce Lara was arrested and accused of escalating a situation at a Dallas grocery store and firing multiple rounds into a vehicle with three adults and three children inside. The youngest child was 3 years old, according to Griffith.
Police did not provide more details at the conference on what recovered evidence found at the New Year’s Eve scene connected Derce Lara to the November shooting.
Acevedo and Alarcon-Sanchez face a misdemeanor charge of discharge of a firearm in certain municipalities. Derce Lara faces six counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, a first-degree felony.
Acevedo has been released on bond while Alarcon-Sanchez and Derce Lara have immigration holds, police said.
At the beginning of the new year, police said they saw a drop in emergency calls about celebratory gunfire on New Year’s Eve compared to 2025.
Police have started planning for next year’s New Year’s events, including traffic control and celebratory random gunfire, Comeaux said.
“Let me be clear, if you put lives at risk in Dallas, we will identify you, investigate thoroughly and hold you accountable,” Comeaux said.