At least one suspect fired shots at Dallas Police headquarters, smashed into police car, planted bombs: cops (VIDEO: WARNING — GRAPHIC LANGUAGE)
Dallas police are working to confirm if a suspect is dead after he targeted officers in a brazen attack at police headquarters early Saturday morning.
Snipers fired a single shot through the front windshield of the suspect's armored van about five hours after the assault began, and a robot has been sent in to examine the vehicle, Chief David Brown told reporters.
This is the damage seen from inside the Dallas Police headquarters.
PreviousNextAt least one suspect in an armored van fired shots at the Dallas Police headquarters early Saturday morning and planted bombs on the grounds, police said. Shots were fired from a fully automatic weapon at the Jack Evans Police Headquarters shortly before 12:30 a.m., police said. Pictured, the damage seen from inside the headquarters. At least one suspect in an armored van fired shots at the Dallas Police headquarters early Saturday morning and planted bombs on the grounds, police said. Shots were fired from a fully automatic weapon at the Jack Evans Police Headquarters shortly before 12:30 a.m., police said. Pictured, the damage seen from inside the headquarters. At least one suspect in an armored van fired shots at the Dallas Police headquarters early Saturday morning and planted bombs on the grounds, police said. Shots were fired from a fully automatic weapon at the Jack Evans Police Headquarters shortly before 12:30 a.m., police said. Pictured, the damage seen from inside the headquarters. Enlarge
DALLAS POLICE
This is the damage seen from inside the Dallas Police headquarters.
The suspect, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, masterminded a plot to shoot at the Jack Evans Police Headquarters from multiple spots, sending chills down the collective spine of the city with the appearance of several shooters.
He planted a two explosives, including one underneath a squad car, near the Jack Evans Police Headquarters, and both exploded.
No officers were injured -- despite the suspect's intent to kill officers -- which was "the saving grace" of the ordeal, Brown said.
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PreviousNextMANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET USE BY AP MEMBERS ONLY; NO SALES MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET USE BY AP MEMBERS ONLY; NO SALES Enlarge
ASHLEY LANDIS/AP
A Dallas SWAT officer walks to his vehicle at the intersection of Interstate 45 and E Palestine Street, where police have cornered a suspect in a van on Saturday, June 13, 2015 in Hutchins, Texas.
Police are still puzzled over the man's motive, although the suspect said in negotiations that authorities were responsible for him losing custody of his child.
The attack began before 12:30 a.m. with an automatic weapon firing shots at theheadquarters
Dallas Police Chief David Brown speaks to media early Saturday morning and confirms that pipe bombs were found in one of suspicious bags at police headquarters.
The suspect also shot through squad cars where police were sitting, and they "literally dodged bullets," Brown said. A staff member had just walked away from the front desk for a Coca-Cola run when bullets rammed through, and that person would have been killed if still at the desk.
"Some officers say we're very lucky," Brown said. "I believe we're blessed that our officers survived this ordeal."
Things "were helter-skelter for a while" as the suspect shot repeatedly with an assault weapon before switching to a shotgun, Brown said.
As police cars swarmed the parking lot, the armored car, with gunports on its sides, drove head-on into a squad car and then sped away in the midst of heavy gunfire, as seen in video shot from a rooftop across the street and uploaded by Twitter userMadhu.
Several other civilians shot video of gunfire in the streets "with bullets whizzing by their heads" and put the clips online, Brown said.
The attack ignited a massive pursuit involving dozens of police vehicles and led to a standoff in a Jack in the Box fast-food parking lot off a Interstate-45 in Hutchins, where the suspect stopped driving.
At one point during the melee, he called 911 and went on long "high-pitched" rants filled with anger, Brown said.That call allowed investigators to track a phone number to later call him for negotiations.
The suspect told police that they "took his child" and accused him of being a terrorist, and said he is going to "blow us up" in retaliation, Brown said. The man cut off negotiations after his threat.
He tried to make good on his promise, scattering "suspicious" duffel bags around the headquarters area.
One officer "nearly tripped over" a bomb in the dark, and could have died because the bombs were sensitive to the touch, Brown said.
One explosive detonated as a bomb detecting robot was moving it.
The suspect identified himself as James Boulware, but police have not been able to confirm his identity because they have not been able to get close enough to the vehicle.
The crazed man claimed his van was filled with explosives and officers did not want to call his bluff, Brown said.
James Boulware is the name of a man who has a history of three family violence cases, Brown said, noting police had not yet confirmed the suspect's identity.
In one of those cases, from 2013, Boulware allegedly threatened to kill all the adults in his family, and then go on shooting sprees in churches and schools because they are "easy targets," KTENreported.
Police found several guns in his house when he was arrested for those threats, which coincided with two other family assault charges and one marijuana possession charge he faced at the time.
The threat case was later dismissed because Boulware completed all court imposed requirements, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The suspect was not on any terrorist watchlist and offered "no indication of threatening police officers," Brown said.
He had made threats to judges in the past, and his social media profile "is awfully concerning," Brown said.
A sniper and a tactical officer take up positions on the shoulder of Interstate 45 at Dowdy Ferry Road during a stand off with a gunman barricaded inside a van at a Jack in the Box, Saturday, June 13, 2015, in Hutchins, Texas. The gunman allegedly attacked Dallas Police Headquarters. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
SWAT snipers disabled the vehicle with two shots from .50-caliber rifle to the engine at about 4:35 a.m., Maj. Max Geron said.
Bomb technicians are planning to detonate areas around the van to clear it, and a bomb squad has been sent to the suspect's last known address in Mesquite, Brown said.
They have also been sent to the local TV station WFAA after a suspect called in with "a disguised voice" claiming to have a bomb, Brown said.
Snipers are in the process of pumping bullets through the windshield to allow access inside the vehicle, Geron said.
The van has a Georgia license plate, according to theDallas Morning News.
Brown initially said police believed there was as many as four suspects based on witness accounts but later said he was likely acting alone.
No one is in custody.
Dallas police are working with the FBI, ATF and several other local agencies to handle the situation.
The headquarters has transitioned into a crime scene, and the investigation has led to a "very chilling moment" realizing how close to death the officers were, Brown said.
Police evacuated residents from the surrounding area, and fear the possibility of other suspects ambushing people there, Brown said. The agency is also reaching out to the Red Cross to get refreshments for them.
The headquarters is located in a bustling area filled with nightclubs and restaurants, so civilians easily could have gotten hit in the crosshairs, Brown said.
Rail and bus service in the city has been halted, and the highway has been shut down.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Dallas police are working to confirm if a suspect is dead after he targeted officers in a brazen attack at police headquarters early Saturday morning.
Snipers fired a single shot through the front windshield of the suspect's armored van about five hours after the assault began, and a robot has been sent in to examine the vehicle, Chief David Brown told reporters.
This is the damage seen from inside the Dallas Police headquarters.
PreviousNextAt least one suspect in an armored van fired shots at the Dallas Police headquarters early Saturday morning and planted bombs on the grounds, police said. Shots were fired from a fully automatic weapon at the Jack Evans Police Headquarters shortly before 12:30 a.m., police said. Pictured, the damage seen from inside the headquarters. At least one suspect in an armored van fired shots at the Dallas Police headquarters early Saturday morning and planted bombs on the grounds, police said. Shots were fired from a fully automatic weapon at the Jack Evans Police Headquarters shortly before 12:30 a.m., police said. Pictured, the damage seen from inside the headquarters. At least one suspect in an armored van fired shots at the Dallas Police headquarters early Saturday morning and planted bombs on the grounds, police said. Shots were fired from a fully automatic weapon at the Jack Evans Police Headquarters shortly before 12:30 a.m., police said. Pictured, the damage seen from inside the headquarters. Enlarge
DALLAS POLICE
This is the damage seen from inside the Dallas Police headquarters.
The suspect, whose identity has not yet been confirmed, masterminded a plot to shoot at the Jack Evans Police Headquarters from multiple spots, sending chills down the collective spine of the city with the appearance of several shooters.
He planted a two explosives, including one underneath a squad car, near the Jack Evans Police Headquarters, and both exploded.
No officers were injured -- despite the suspect's intent to kill officers -- which was "the saving grace" of the ordeal, Brown said.
MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET USE BY AP MEMBERS ONLY; NO SALES
PreviousNextMANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET USE BY AP MEMBERS ONLY; NO SALES MANDATORY CREDIT; MAGS OUT; TV OUT; INTERNET USE BY AP MEMBERS ONLY; NO SALES Enlarge
ASHLEY LANDIS/AP
A Dallas SWAT officer walks to his vehicle at the intersection of Interstate 45 and E Palestine Street, where police have cornered a suspect in a van on Saturday, June 13, 2015 in Hutchins, Texas.
Police are still puzzled over the man's motive, although the suspect said in negotiations that authorities were responsible for him losing custody of his child.
The attack began before 12:30 a.m. with an automatic weapon firing shots at theheadquarters
Dallas Police Chief David Brown speaks to media early Saturday morning and confirms that pipe bombs were found in one of suspicious bags at police headquarters.
The suspect also shot through squad cars where police were sitting, and they "literally dodged bullets," Brown said. A staff member had just walked away from the front desk for a Coca-Cola run when bullets rammed through, and that person would have been killed if still at the desk.
"Some officers say we're very lucky," Brown said. "I believe we're blessed that our officers survived this ordeal."
Things "were helter-skelter for a while" as the suspect shot repeatedly with an assault weapon before switching to a shotgun, Brown said.
As police cars swarmed the parking lot, the armored car, with gunports on its sides, drove head-on into a squad car and then sped away in the midst of heavy gunfire, as seen in video shot from a rooftop across the street and uploaded by Twitter userMadhu.
Several other civilians shot video of gunfire in the streets "with bullets whizzing by their heads" and put the clips online, Brown said.
The attack ignited a massive pursuit involving dozens of police vehicles and led to a standoff in a Jack in the Box fast-food parking lot off a Interstate-45 in Hutchins, where the suspect stopped driving.
At one point during the melee, he called 911 and went on long "high-pitched" rants filled with anger, Brown said.That call allowed investigators to track a phone number to later call him for negotiations.
The suspect told police that they "took his child" and accused him of being a terrorist, and said he is going to "blow us up" in retaliation, Brown said. The man cut off negotiations after his threat.
He tried to make good on his promise, scattering "suspicious" duffel bags around the headquarters area.
One officer "nearly tripped over" a bomb in the dark, and could have died because the bombs were sensitive to the touch, Brown said.
One explosive detonated as a bomb detecting robot was moving it.
Other apparent packages that authorities suspected to contain explosives turned out to be trash, police said.
The suspect identified himself as James Boulware, but police have not been able to confirm his identity because they have not been able to get close enough to the vehicle.
The crazed man claimed his van was filled with explosives and officers did not want to call his bluff, Brown said.
James Boulware is the name of a man who has a history of three family violence cases, Brown said, noting police had not yet confirmed the suspect's identity.
In one of those cases, from 2013, Boulware allegedly threatened to kill all the adults in his family, and then go on shooting sprees in churches and schools because they are "easy targets," KTENreported.
Police found several guns in his house when he was arrested for those threats, which coincided with two other family assault charges and one marijuana possession charge he faced at the time.
The threat case was later dismissed because Boulware completed all court imposed requirements, the Dallas Morning News reported.
The suspect was not on any terrorist watchlist and offered "no indication of threatening police officers," Brown said.
He had made threats to judges in the past, and his social media profile "is awfully concerning," Brown said.
A sniper and a tactical officer take up positions on the shoulder of Interstate 45 at Dowdy Ferry Road during a stand off with a gunman barricaded inside a van at a Jack in the Box, Saturday, June 13, 2015, in Hutchins, Texas. The gunman allegedly attacked Dallas Police Headquarters. (AP Photo/Brandon Wade)
SWAT snipers disabled the vehicle with two shots from .50-caliber rifle to the engine at about 4:35 a.m., Maj. Max Geron said.
Bomb technicians are planning to detonate areas around the van to clear it, and a bomb squad has been sent to the suspect's last known address in Mesquite, Brown said.
They have also been sent to the local TV station WFAA after a suspect called in with "a disguised voice" claiming to have a bomb, Brown said.
Snipers are in the process of pumping bullets through the windshield to allow access inside the vehicle, Geron said.
The van has a Georgia license plate, according to theDallas Morning News.
Brown initially said police believed there was as many as four suspects based on witness accounts but later said he was likely acting alone.
No one is in custody.
Dallas police are working with the FBI, ATF and several other local agencies to handle the situation.
The headquarters has transitioned into a crime scene, and the investigation has led to a "very chilling moment" realizing how close to death the officers were, Brown said.
Police evacuated residents from the surrounding area, and fear the possibility of other suspects ambushing people there, Brown said. The agency is also reaching out to the Red Cross to get refreshments for them.
The headquarters is located in a bustling area filled with nightclubs and restaurants, so civilians easily could have gotten hit in the crosshairs, Brown said.
Rail and bus service in the city has been halted, and the highway has been shut down.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
