BROWNSVILLE, Texas, — An inmate in this border county stabbed a sheriff’s deputy, took his service weapons, and killed a man before leading police on a high-speed chase that ended in a deadly shootout.
The case began on Thursday shortly after 1 p.m. when a Cameron County Sheriff’s Deputy was transporting Miguel Garcia to a clinic, information released by Brownsville Police revealed.
En route, the inmate was able to free himself and attack the deputy using a shank to stab the lawman, Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio told Breitbart Texas. After the attack, Garcia took the injured deputy’s gun belt before escaping.
According to Brownsville Police, Garcia jumped into a local man-made lake and swam across to a nearby residential area. After reaching the other side, Garcia went into the home of 56-year-old Mario Martinez to steal a vehicle. The escaped inmate pointed a firearm at Martinez and demanded the keys to the man’s 2014 sedan. Martinez did not resist but was reportedly shot without provocation.
After killing the homeowner, Garcia stole the vehicle and sped off, heading west. Authorities were able to locate the fleeing vehicle and tried to stop Garcia; setting off a high-speed chase that moved into the nearby city of San Benito. Garcia appears to have crashed or come to a stop at an industrial park and then engaged law enforcement in a short shootout where he was fatally injured. Garcia died at a local hospital.
Ildefonso Ortiz is an award-winning journalist with Breitbart Texas. He co-founded the Cartel Chronicles project with Brandon Darby and Stephen K. Bannon. You can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.
Editor’s note: This story has updated to reflect the exact police equipment taken by Garcia after his escape.
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