DEVELOPING – Multiple gunmen armed with automatic weapons fired on police officers outside Dallas Police headquarters early Saturday morning before fleeing in an armored van, leading police on a chase that ended in an ongoing standoff in a parking lot where a gun battle with officers ensued.
Police also reported finding two explosive devices near police headquarters. The pipe bombs detonated as they were being handled by an Explosive Ordinance Robot. Police said other suspicious packages have been cleared. Nearby residents were evacuated as a precaution.
“Thankful no officers were injured, “ Dallas Poliice Maj. Max Geron tweeted shortly before 8:30 a.m. Saturday.
Dallas Police Chief David Brown said the shootout began about 12:30 a.m. local time when the suspects pulled up to the building and began shooting at officers, striking several squad cars. He said officers returned fire at which time the suspects fled the scene in a van that rammed a police cruiser.
Officers chased the suspects 11 miles to the parking lot of a Jack in the Box in Hutchins. There police exchanged gunfire with the suspects. Brown said the suspects refused to surrender. He said SWAT team negotiators were talking to the suspect. One of the suspects told police that he is injured, but authorities cannot confirm any injuries, Fox4News.com reported.
#breaking As the Explosive Ordinance Robot attempted to move one of the bags @DallasPD HQ, the bag exploded on its own #DallasPDShooting
— Maj. Max Geron (@MaxDPD) June 13, 2015
The suspect gave a name to police, identifying himself as James Boulware. “This the name given, however it has not been confirmed that this is the person we are talking to,” Brown said.
Police said conflicting witness accounts made it difficult to immediately determine how many shooters were involved and authorities were trying to determine a motive.
Brown said the suspect driving the van has told officers that he blames police for losing custody of his son and “accusing him of being a terrorist.” The gunman also said he had explosives in the van, which appeared to be outfitted with gun ports in the sides.
Brown said, based on witness accounts, as many as four suspects may have been involved in the original shooting, including some who may have been positioned at elevated positions. Police couldn’t confirm how many shooters were involved and where any additional suspects may be located.
Police later found two more suspicious packages. One was found in a dumpster and another underneath a police truck in the parking lot.
#BREAKING We are also investigating a suspicious package in a dumpster at the Northeast Substation #DallasPDShooting
— Dallas Police Depart (@DallasPD) June 13, 2015
Ladarrick Alexander and his fiancée, Laquita Davis, were driving back toward the police station to their nearby apartment when they heard 15 to 20 gunshots in quick succession.
Seconds later, police could be seen swarming an unmarked van that appeared to have crashed into a police car, they said.
They turned around and were parked outside the police perimeter about two blocks away, where they heard the sound of one detonation at about 4:30 am and smoke coming up in the air.
Police headquarters is in a former warehouse district where a boutique hotel and several new apartment buildings have been opened.
"We don't see too much going around here at all," Alexander said.
No comments:
Post a Comment