A convicted murderer who was being transported in a Texas prison bus last Thursday allegedly cut through metal, attacked an officer and ran into woods nearby.
He has not been seen since — prompting what officials say is one of the largest search efforts for an escaped inmate in the state’s history.
He was added to the state’s 10 通缉犯名单, with authorities offering up to $ 50,000 for information that leads to his capture.
Here’s what we know about Lopez and his escape.
He was serving two life sentences
Convicted in Texas of two counts of aggravated assault in 1996, Lopez received two eight-year sentences, according to the state’s public safety department. 在 2006, he was convicted of capital murder and aggravated kidnapping and sentenced to life in prison, 该部门说.
次年, he was handed a second life sentence for an attempted capital murder conviction, 根据部门.
“他因谋杀罪被判无期徒刑, 他用鹤嘴锄杀死了一名男子，还因向警察开枪而被判死刑未遂,” Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesperson Robert Hurst said at a Friday news conference. “He’s somebody who is very dangerous.”
Lopez also had several other offenses on his record dating back to at least 1994, 根据 TDCJ records.
He is affiliated with the Mexican Mafia and has ties to the Rio Grande Valley area — 包括韦斯拉科和梅赛德斯 — 和圣安东尼奥, the state’s public safety department 说过.
Authorities are offering a reward of up to $ 50,000 for information that leads to the inmate’s arrest.
How he escaped
The inmate escaped last Thursday afternoon, as he was being transported from a facility in Gatesville to another unit in Huntsville for a medical appointment, authorities said in a Wednesday statement.
亨茨维尔在附近 70 休斯顿以北数英里.
“Due to his criminal history and restrictive housing status, inmate Lopez was being transported in a separate, caged area of the bus, designated for high-risk inmates,” 声明说.
But as he was being transported, Lopez broke out of his restraints, cut through the metal and crawled out of the bottom of the cage, the state’s criminal justice department said. He then attacked the driver, forcing the bus to a stop, 根据部门.
In a previous briefing, Hurt said Lopez “刺伤” the officer who was driving with “some sort of object,” and the officer struggled with — but ultimately prevented — Lopez from grabbing his service weapon. The other inmates were still in their restraints, Hurst said.
The driver and the inmate got out of the bus, and a second officer, who was at the back of the vehicle, got out and began approaching Lopez, 声明说. The inmate went back into the bus and attempted to drive away but the officers shot at the tires and stopped the vehicle, 当局说.
洛佩兹离开公共汽车，跑进高速公路旁的树林 7 位于莱昂县, 根据当局.
One of the officers fired at the fleeing inmate but authorities are not aware if Lopez was hit, Hurst previously said.
“Last we saw him he was fleeing across the cow pasture west of Centerville,” Hurst said. Centerville is about 50 miles from Huntsville.
One of the largest inmate search efforts in state history
星期二, Hurst told reporters that authorities were getting closer to catching Lopez and were hoping to have him in custody soon.
“We’ve gotten some information, may bring us a little bit closer to closing in on him and hopefully getting him back in our custody,” 他说.
Hurst said the search was “very concentrated” and called it “one of the largest search efforts for an escaped inmate in Texas Department of Criminal Justice history.”
The FBI and US Marshals are involved in the search, which includes almost 300 当地的, state and federal law enforcement personnel, Hurst previously said.
Authorities are conducting the manhunt on foot with canine patrols, horseback and with the help of helicopters, 官员说, and urged travelers not to pick up hitchhikers.
No prison clothes have been found, so authorities believe Lopez could still be in them, Hurst said, though it was still possible he could have changed his clothes.
There is an ongoing investigation into the escape and whether the inmate may have had assistance, 他加了.
