EDINBURG, Texas — Sheriff’s deputies near the Texas border came under fire while trying to provide assistance during what appeared to have been a car wreck. The shootout took place Saturday early morning in a rural are near the border city of Weslaco, information provided to Breitbart Texas by the Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office revealed.
The deputy was conducting routine patrols in the area when he saw a car that had crashed into the fence of a house. The law enforcement officer stopped to check the vehicle for victims and provide assistance when he saw a man running away from the vehicle.
The deputy chased the fleeing man who turned around, pulled out a firearm and began to shoot at the deputy. After a brief exchange of gunfire with the deputy, he was able to escape.
Additional deputies were able to set up a perimeter and arrest the gunman. He had been hiding in a nearby irrigation canal. Authorities also requested assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (ATF) who sent out their police canines.
With the help of the ATF canines, authorities were able to locate the firearm that they believe he used to fire at the deputy. The identity of the suspected gunman has not yet been released pending his formal arraignment on attempted capital murder charges.
The shootout in Weslaco comes just days after 17-year-old Javier Olmedo was shot in the head during a highway shooting in the border city of Donna which is just miles from Weslaco.
Olmedo died after spending several days in intensive care. According to information provided to Breitbart Texas by investigators, Olmedo was a known gang member and was in an out of detention centers. The murder has been linked to gang violence. On Thursday the U.S. Marshal Service and San Juan Police helped Donna Police arrest 21-year-old Rolando Rene Rodriguez who remains in the Hidalgo County Jail on a murder charge and with a bond of more than $1 million.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.