WFAA Staff, WFAA8:30 a.m. CDT June 13, 2015
(Photo: WFAA)
DALLAS — Dallas police were in a standoff Saturday morning after suspects in an armored van opened fire on the department's headquarters before leading officers on a chase to Hutchins, about 10 miles southeast.
At 5:40 a.m., police said the suspects' vehicle had been "disabled" with a .50 caliber rifle, but a standoff continued.
Sources told News 8 that the suspect in the armored van may have been injured in the initial shootout Saturday. Police had not communicated with the suspect for quite some time, as of 8:30 a.m.
Police were using robots to examine the suspect's vehicle.
The South Side on Lamar apartment complex in the 1400 block of South Lamar was evacuated as a precaution after one or more bombs were discovered outside police headquarters.
Just after 6 a.m., Dallas Police Maj. Max Geron said on Twitter that officers were clearing the station.
"Not 'evacuating' but getting officers to clear in service from the station," he said in response to a tweet.
The area around Dallas police headquarters was sealed off after suspicious packages were found following a shootout. (Photo: WFAA)
Dallas police Chief David Brown said four suspicious bags were found outside the building. Two explosive devices were found and detonated, while the other two ended up being trash, according to Maj. Geron.
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REPLAY: Chief Brown on Dallas police HQ assault
One bag exploded as a bomb squad robot tried to move it. Another explosive, found under a police vehicle, was detonated in a controlled explosion around 5:45 a.m. No officers were injured in the detonations, Geron said.
A suspicious bag found near the Northeast substation was cleared just after 7:30 p.m.
Gunfire was reported just after midnight Saturday outside the Dallas Police Department headquarters. (Photo: Courtesy: @TheStreetFA via Instagram)
Police alerted other law enforcement agencies in the region to search for any suspicious devices. It could still be several hours until residents were able to return home, police said, due to the continued search for additional explosives.
The situation began at 12:30 a.m. Saturday when gunfire was reported outside police headquarters.
"Witnesses observed what they believed to be multiple suspects firing guns at the Dallas Police Department's headquarters," Chief Brown said. "The suspects were parked in front of police headquarters. As police officers arrived, the suspects rammed Dallas police officers' squad cars and began shooting at the officers, striking the squad cars but missing the officers."
Nearby residents reported hearing automatic gunfire and video posted to social media shows what appears to be an armored van with gun ports on its sides ramming Dallas police squad cars and exchanging gunfire with police before fleeing the area.
VIDEO: Evacuated resident speaks to News 8 about Dallas Police HQ attack
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