White Settlement police detain suspect in van filled with explosives and guns
WHITE SETTLEMENT — Police in White Settlement, a suburb of Fort Worth, said a neighbor prevented a potential tragedy this Thanksgiving week by reporting a suspicious van. Inside, officers found explosives, guns and body armor.
The man driving the van has been detained.
White Settlement police got a call about the white van from someone who lived on Jason Lane around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.
"The person that called it in prevented something of serious magnitude from happening," said Laura Gonzalez, a White Settlement police detective.
When officers arrived, they found a man inside who seemed to be having a mental health crisis, according to police. They spotted a handgun in his lap and what appeared to be an explosive device on the passenger seat.
As officers talked with him, they were able to get him out of the van and away from the weapons.
"The main priority for officers is for everyone to be safe, to include the person that they're talking to," said Gonzalez. "Just what is the quickest but safest way to get them detained so that no one gets hurt and to give them that proper care for whatever issue it is that they have going on."
Gonzalez said police immediately detained the suspect and called the Fort Worth Fire Department Bomb Squad to handle two explosive devices found in the van. There was a rifle and an AR-Style pistol in the van in addition to the handgun.
"So it's still unclear exactly what his motive was," Gonzalez said. "It's obvious that he wanted to cause some harm to some people. The why is what we're still working on."
According to police, the suspect is from Oklahoma, but some of his family members lived in the neighborhood where they found him and his van, which could explain why he was there.
He is currently in a medical facility being evaluated. Police will release his name once he has been formally charged.
"It all goes back to if you see something, say something," Gonzalez said. "If something doesn't seem right, just call it in because you never know what could have happened. And if it wasn't for that person, something tragic would have occurred."
The FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force and ATF are helping with the investigation. There's a possibility additional charges could be filed federally.