Suspect shot after overnight attack on Dallas police HQ

A US police sniper has shot a suspect in an overnight attack on Dallas police headquarters and officers have been attempting to check whether he is still alive.

Police chief David Brown said an officer shot a suspect while he was holed up in a van in a car park in the Dallas suburb of Hutchins. He said the man told police he had explosives in the van.

Mr Brown said investigators believe the man acted alone in the early-morning attack on Dallas police headquarters, despite early witness reports that others may have taken part.

Police recovered two explosive devices near the building.

Mr Brown said the man identified himself as James Boulware and said he blamed police for losing custody of his son and "accusing him of being a terrorist".

Shots were fired from what was described as an armoured van in the attack on Dallas Police headquarters early on Saturday.

Mr Brown told reporters that a motive for the attack was not yet known.

One device exploded as a police robot attempted to move it.

Mr Brown said witnesses had said as many as four suspects were involved in the incident, which began at about 12.30am.

The police chief said when police responded to reports of automatic gunfire, the van rammed a squad car and at least one person began shooting.

The van drove off when the police returned fire and the police gave chase, he said.

Exchange of gunfire

The van stopped in a fast food restaurant parking lot in the city of Hutchins, some 16km south of Dallas, where there was another exchange of gunfire.

Mr Brown said police had responded previously to three incidents of domestic violence involving a man with that name.

He said a suspect had said police had taken his son and had accused him of being a terrorist and that the man then threatened to “blow us up”.

Four bags were found scattered around police headquarters, at least one of which had explosives inside, Mr Brown said.

It was one of these bags that later exploded when a robot attempted to move it.

Police said another suspicious package was found under a police truck in the police headquarters parking lot, in addition to another in a dumpster near a different police station in the city.

Nearby residents were evacuated, Mr Brown said.

A video of the incident on social media showed a police officer approaching a black van with a flashlight as two other police cruisers pulled up behind the vehicle.

The officer then abruptly turned and ran away and then a volley of gunshots could be heard.

In another video, the van could be seen ramming a police cruiser before gunfire rang out and the vehicle drove off.

Reuters