Dallas Police Department headquarters is seen riddled with bullet holes in Dallas, Texas in this handout photo released by the Dallas Police Department on June 13, 2015.(Reuters)
Dallas:
A man attacked the headquarters of the Dallas Police Department with gunfire and explosives early on Saturday and was shot dead inside a van by police snipers, ending a standoff, authorities said.
The hours-long drama began soon after midnight when the suspect, who identified himself to police as a man who had a history of delusions and criminal charges, riddled the headquarters with bullets, police said.
He left behind at least two devices in duffle bags that later exploded, police said. The attack shattered windows and left bullet holes in the building walls and in squad cars parked outside.
The assailant, driving what police said appeared to be an armored van, then rammed a patrol car and led police on a high-speed chase to a fast-food restaurant in Hutchins, about 10 miles (16 km) south of the city, where he was later killed.
He was believed to have acted alone, motivated by personal grievances, and had no known connection to any terrorist groups, Dallas Police Chief David Brown said.
No one except the suspect was injured or killed, although a barrage of gunfire narrowly missed officers and staff, the chief said.
"I believe we're blessed that our officers survived this ordeal," Brown told reporters. "We literally dodged a bullet."
He said the man whom police negotiators had spoken with inside the van identified himself as James Boulware, but police declined to name the suspect pending identification by a medical examiner.
A check of public records showed that Boulware, 35, had faced several criminal charges including assault on family members.
Brown said the man had blamed police for causing him to lose custody of his son and had believed officers accused him of being a terrorist.
Jeannine Hammond, Boulware's mother, told Dallas NBC affiliate KXAS-TV that her son was mentally ill and "heard voices."
POLICE SNIPERS
After the van was cornered in the restaurant parking lot, sporadic talks between police and the suspect ensued but soon came to a standstill, prompting police to disable the van by piercing its engine block with rifle fire. Police snipers then shot the suspect through the van's windshield.
Hours later, live television showed police conducting a controlled explosion targeting the van. Officers approached the vehicle, and an announcement the suspect was dead came a few minutes later.
As the incident unfolded, two devices exploded outside the police headquarters. The first was a pipe bomb that went off when a police robot attempted to move it. A second device, placed under a police vehicle, was detonated by a bomb squad.
Boulware was accused of choking his mother and attacking his uncle in April 2013. He left his home with guns, body armor and ammunition, a police report said.
Relatives told police at the time that he spoke about "shooting up schools and churches," the report said.
Boulware was charged with assault but the case was dropped in January 2014 after he met terms of a dismissal, court documents said.
Kim Cooks, a Dallas County family court judge who had overseen the child custody case, told CNN that she had been under police protection because of threats from Boulware.
"He would look at you as if he wanted to kill you. And then he may be fine for one minute and the next minute he's speaking in a rage and ranting about something," she said.
The hours-long drama began soon after midnight when the suspect, who identified himself to police as a man who had a history of delusions and criminal charges, riddled the headquarters with bullets, police said.
He left behind at least two devices in duffle bags that later exploded, police said. The attack shattered windows and left bullet holes in the building walls and in squad cars parked outside.
The assailant, driving what police said appeared to be an armored van, then rammed a patrol car and led police on a high-speed chase to a fast-food restaurant in Hutchins, about 10 miles (16 km) south of the city, where he was later killed.
He was believed to have acted alone, motivated by personal grievances, and had no known connection to any terrorist groups, Dallas Police Chief David Brown said.
No one except the suspect was injured or killed, although a barrage of gunfire narrowly missed officers and staff, the chief said.
"I believe we're blessed that our officers survived this ordeal," Brown told reporters. "We literally dodged a bullet."
He said the man whom police negotiators had spoken with inside the van identified himself as James Boulware, but police declined to name the suspect pending identification by a medical examiner.
A check of public records showed that Boulware, 35, had faced several criminal charges including assault on family members.
Brown said the man had blamed police for causing him to lose custody of his son and had believed officers accused him of being a terrorist.
Jeannine Hammond, Boulware's mother, told Dallas NBC affiliate KXAS-TV that her son was mentally ill and "heard voices."
POLICE SNIPERS
After the van was cornered in the restaurant parking lot, sporadic talks between police and the suspect ensued but soon came to a standstill, prompting police to disable the van by piercing its engine block with rifle fire. Police snipers then shot the suspect through the van's windshield.
Hours later, live television showed police conducting a controlled explosion targeting the van. Officers approached the vehicle, and an announcement the suspect was dead came a few minutes later.
As the incident unfolded, two devices exploded outside the police headquarters. The first was a pipe bomb that went off when a police robot attempted to move it. A second device, placed under a police vehicle, was detonated by a bomb squad.
Boulware was accused of choking his mother and attacking his uncle in April 2013. He left his home with guns, body armor and ammunition, a police report said.
Relatives told police at the time that he spoke about "shooting up schools and churches," the report said.
Boulware was charged with assault but the case was dropped in January 2014 after he met terms of a dismissal, court documents said.
Kim Cooks, a Dallas County family court judge who had overseen the child custody case, told CNN that she had been under police protection because of threats from Boulware.
"He would look at you as if he wanted to kill you. And then he may be fine for one minute and the next minute he's speaking in a rage and ranting about something," she said.
© Thomson Reuters 2015
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