Authorities: Convicted Murderer Assaults Bus Driver, Escapes During Transport in Texas, Manhunt Underway

A Texas inmate, convicted of capital murder and attempted capital murder, is on the loose after he assaulted a corrections officer on a bus during transport and subsequently fled the vehicle, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDJC) announced Thursday.

Officials said the incident occurred while the bus was headed eastbound on Highway 7 – just outside of Centerville at approximately 1:20 p.m., KBTX reported. The bus carried two corrections officers and sixteen inmates, TDCJ spokesman Robert Hurst told Breitbart News. The bus was headed from Gatesville to Hunstville when inmate Gonzalo Lopez, 46, “was somehow able to get out of his shackles and get into the driver’s compartment of the bus,” Hurst said during a press conference documented by KAGSTV.

Lopez made it to the front of the bus and overpowered the officer driving, stabbing him in the hand in the process, Hurst said per KAGSTV’s video. During the struggle between the two, Lopez reportedly managed to secure the gun of the driver, Officer Randy Smith, for a brief time as KBTX reported: 

“Officer Smith heroically and smartly pulled the bus over to the side of the road,” said Hurst.

Smith and Lopez then fought outside of the bus, at which point Lopez briefly had control of Smith’s weapon.

Hurst said he was able to procure Smith’s holster with the gun inside but was unable to access the gun.

Per KBTX:

Hurst says during the struggle, the second guard, Officer Jimmie Brinegar, used his shotgun to shoot out the tires in the back of the bus. Lopez got back on the bus and started driving, but only made it about a mile down the road before he lost control. After the bus crashed, Lopez took off running into a nearby field.

Hurst told Breitbart News that shots were fired at Lopez as he fled, but it is unknown if he was struck. In its release, the TDCJ noted that Lopez was serving a life sentence for capital murder and attempted capital murder. Hurst said that the inmate was heading to a medical appointment during the transport.

A manhunt for Lopez is underway “near Highway 7 westbound in Leon County, approximately 1.5 miles from Interstate 45,” which is being assisted by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) and numerous other agencies, the TDCJ said in its release. Hurst said the TDJC, Texas Department of Public Safety, the Leon County Sheriff’s Department (LCSD), the Centerville Police Department, and additional agencies from surrounding counties are aiding in search efforts.

The Centerville Independent School District (CISD) went into a lockdown after Lopez’s escape, CNN reported. The outlet notes that the CISD announced it canceled classes on Friday due “to the ongoing situation.” The LCSD has advised everyone who lives in the area to lock the doors to their residences and vehicles. “If you spot Lopez, immediately contact 911 and do not approach him,” the TDCJ said.

Centerville woman Melanie Tieperman said she and her son spotted Lopez exiting the bus and fleeing into a field, adding that he hopped a fence and headed in the direction of a residence, according to KBTX.

The incident comes as a high-profile search for Alabama inmate Casey White, an accused murderer, and Vicky White, the corrections director authorities believe helped him escape the Lauderdale County Detention Center, ended following a car chase in Indiana Monday, Breitbart News reported. The pair, who were not related though they shared a last name, went missing during transport from the detention center to the courthouse for an alleged medical evaluation that authorities later deemed to be a fabrication. Law enforcement said that Vicky shot herself and later died at a hospital after being taken into custody.