DEVELOPING – Multiple suspects with automatic weapons opened fire on police officers outside Dallas Police headquarters early Saturday morning, before one man fled the scene in an armored van, leading police on a chase that ended in an ongoing standoff at a nearby parking lot where additional shots were fired.
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.
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 firing. He said at least one of the suspects fled the scene in a van that rammed a police cruiser before leading police on the chase that ended at the parking lot. Brown says negotiations are ongoing with the suspect in the van. The has 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
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 says negotiations are going on with the suspect in the van. One of the suspects has told police that he is injured, but authorities cannot confirm any injuries, Fox4News.com reported.
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
