Dallas "Active Shooter" Suspect May Have Set Ambush For Authorities
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - New information Monday night revealed that a grass fire and possible bomb situation in North Dallas might have actually been an attack on local law enforcement.
It's believed that first responders from the Dallas Police Department and Dallas Fire Rescue were lured to a North Dallas residence. The suspect in the investigation allegedly greeted DFR with a hail of bullets.
The dangerous situation didn't just involve first responders. Officers rescued two hostages and even after the suspect's surrender still faced danger.
Officers were still on the scene late Monday evening. Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) technicians had to first clear the area and determine it safe before police could begin their investigation.
Pictures first released on the Dallas Police Department Twitter feed showed several of the suspicious devices that a SWAT team encountered when they arrived at a home on North 40th Place. DPD later rescued an adult female babysitter and an eight-year-old girl. The two had been taking shelter inside the house.
For nearly two hours police appeared to have a male suspect, who had only been described as wearing a blue shirt and having a white towel or white bandana on his head, cornered. Because of what looked like possible explosives nearby authorities hesitated before making the arrest.
Lieutenant Jose Garcia said the caution was warranted. "He shot at firefighters and police officers."
According to police, the confrontation began as an apparent ambush. Members of Dallas Fire Rescue were responding to reports of a fire in the area when someone shot at them. No firefighters were injured, but police later released a picture of where one of the bullets struck a fire engine.
Moments after the shots were fired, Dallas police officers, unaware of what happened and responding to a request from the Denton County Sheriff's Office, arrived at the same scene. DPD had been asked to look into a report of a missing person. Once again someone opened fire on first responders.
Wendy May lives in the area and had just made the decision to leave when police made the arrest. "If your house backs up to the same woods where a man with an AK-47 is running around, you probably don't want to hang out in the house," she said.
May and others living in the area told CBS 11 News they were surprised to see so many police in the neighborhood lined with multi-million dollar homes.
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