Dallas Police Dept. Attacked: Suspect Presumed Dead, Car Believed Rigged With Explosives

The suspected gunman in an attack on the Dallas Police Department headquarters early Saturday morning has been shot by a police sniper and is presumed to be dead.

The attack on the headquarters started about about 12:30 a.m. CT (1:30 a.m. ET) when automatic weapons were fired at the station. Police initially believed there were as many as four gunmen, but now believe there was just one shooter, firing from multiple locations.

Police Chief David Brown told reporters that SWAT snipers struck the suspect through the windshield of his van.

According to NBC News,”police returned fire and the suspect got into what witnesses say was an armored van, which rammed a patrol car and then raced off.” Police Chief David Brown told reporters that officers chased the van to the parking lot of a Jack in the Box where a sniper shot the vehicle’s engine block twice with a .50 caliber rifle and shot the suspect with a third bullet fired through the windshield.

Because officers found bags with explosives that had been “spread out all over police headquarters,” police were not approaching the van.

Brown added that:

“The suspect, during negotiations, expressed that the van he was traveling in was rigged with explosives. Our officers are not approaching that vehicle, but instead, our bomb technicians are deploying the robot and plan to detonate specific areas around the van to ensure that it’s not rigged to explode.”

Additionally, officers were investigating four suspicious bags that had been placed around police headquarters and one bag, thought to have contained pipe bombs, exploded when a specialized robot tried to move it.

“We believe this suspect meant to kill officers,” Brown told reporters, adding that the local office of the FBI and other agencies were assisting in the investigation.

Brown told reporters that the suspect, who identified himself as James Boulware to police, blamed police for losing custody of his son and “accusing him of being a terrorist.”

The following timeline has been provided by the Dallas Police Department, followed by details:

0430 Robot picked up bag at Jack Evans with pipe bombs and it detonated
0435 Engine block of suspect vehicle has been shot with .50 cal
0438 Suspicious briefcase in dumpster at NE Substation
0447 FBI bomb squad en route to NE Substation
0507 PD Sniper shot at suspect through front windshield of van. Suspect may be hit. Sending in robot to confirm.
0540 planned detonation occurred at DPD headquarters
0609 FBI updates that they will relieve DPD as necessary at scene. Also, DPD coordinating with Mesquite Bomb squad at suspects last known residence.
0620 All packages at Jack Evans PD HQ cleared (5)
0720 WFAA receiving disguised voice calls from an individual claiming to have a bomb
0730 North East patrol cleared
0810 Bomb robot investigating suspect’s vehicle

On June 13, 2015, at approximately 12:30 a.m., witnesses observed what they believed to be multiple suspects firing gun shots at the Dallas Police Headquarters at 1400 South Lamar Street.
The suspects were parked in front of headquarters. Patrol elements arrived, at which time the suspects rammed a Dallas Police squad car and began shooting at officers, striking the squad cars.
There were no officers struck. Officers returned fire at which time the suspect fled the location in what witnesses say is an armored vehicle.
Officers chased the suspects south of Dallas to the parking lot of a Jack in the Box at 121 South Interstate 45 Service Road in Hutchins at approximately 12:44 a.m.
While in the parking lot, there was an exchange of gunfire between the suspects and officers. Squad cars were struck, however no officers were injured.
The suspects refused to exit the vehicle, at which time officers set up a perimeter.
SWAT has since been called to the scene and began negotiations with the suspects.
SWAT officers are currently talking to the suspects and working to find a peaceful and safe resolution.
The suspect gave a name to identify himself as James Boulware, a White male, 5’10”, 200 pounds. This is the name given, however it has not been confirmed that this is the person we are talking to.
Dallas Police Headquarters and all seven substations are secure. Our Explosives Ordinance Detonation Unit is investigating four suspicious bags left in front of Dallas Police Headquarters. One bag is confirmed to have explosives inside, pipe bombs.
We are in process of evacuating residents of the Southside on Lamar Complex, located at 1409 South Lamar Street.
No Dallas police officers have been injured. This is preliminary information and we are working diligently to gather more details regarding this incident.
We will provide more updates as soon as we gather more information. We are active on Twitter, Facebook and DPDBeat.com.
At this time we cannot confirm the suspect’s motive. We also appreciate the help and support of other agencies such as DSO, Hutchins PD, Garland PD, Mesquite PD, the FBI and DPS.

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Dallas Police Dept. Attacked: Suspect Presumed Dead, Car Believed Rigged With Explosives – VIDEO