Texans breathed a sigh of relief on Friday after police killed a fugitive suspected of killing five people after escaping a life sentence for murder, by police in a television series-worthy manner.
Gonzalo Artemio López, 46, escaped from a prison in Leon County between Dallas and Houston on May 12 in spectacular fashion and has since been the target of the largest manhunt in this southern state’s recent history.
Jason Clark, spokesman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ), said the deaths of five innocent people, one adult and four minors, were an “absolute tragedy”.
“But we’re breathing a sigh of relief that Lopez can no longer harm anyone,” he said at an impromptu press conference.
López, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2006 for a barbaric pickaxe murder and kidnapping, incited terrorism.
Physically, he could have been the perfect villain for a Netflix series: shaved head, square face, prominent chest, tattooed and biceps, and broad back. In short: a murderous profile made even more dangerous by his known ties to the Mexican mafia and the gangs operating in prison.
cinematic escape
The circumstances of his escape show his relentless determination.
That day, López was to be transferred from his prison in Gatesville to another prison in Huntsville, Texas, for a medical appointment. It would be a journey of approximately 260 km in a prison bus guarded by armed agents.
His map required special surveillance, and his feet and hands were placed in a metal cage with chains.
Authorities could not explain how he got on board with a concealed kitchen knife and then freed himself from the shackles. In addition, López managed to reach the driver’s cabin by cutting the metal hinge of his cage, forcing him to stop the bus.
According to the information obtained, a fight broke out between the detained person and the driver outside the vehicle. López stabbed the agent in the hand and chest. Another armed agent stationed at the back of the bus descended to neutralize the detainee.
However, López managed to climb back into the driver’s cab and get behind the wheel, leaving the two guards behind. They opened fire and punctured the rear tire of the vehicle, which became difficult to maneuver. Indeed, a kilometer away, López went off the road and, abandoning the bus and its passengers, entered a forest.
Dogs, horses and helicopters
From the start, the hunt has mobilized impressive resources and every available police force, supported by dogs, horses and helicopters. Setting: a mountainous region that includes plains, forests, and rivers.
Footage befitting a John Ford western showed dozens of armed agents in cowboy hats and on horseback scanning the rough terrain. However, days passed without results. The bounty offered for any information leading to López’s capture has been revalued to $50,000.
The fugitive was, unsurprisingly, at the top of the most wanted list in Texas, a state with a much higher arrest rate than any democracy on the planet.
Finally, after three fruitless weeks, someone concerned contacted the police as family members did not answer their phones. Police found five bodies in his home. They sounded the alarm when they realized that the family car, a Chevrolet Silverado pickup, was missing.
López saw the end of his career behind the wheel of this Chevrolet: the truck was reportedly followed in Jourdanton, south of San Antonio, and was eventually stopped by a loose guardrail on the sidewalk.
Carrying an assault rifle and pistol, López opened fire on the police but missed. They reacted and killed him instantly.
It was “the end of an ordeal,” summed up Clark, who was tasked with informing the Americans of the capture.
source: Noticias
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