Man Hijacks Bus, Opens Fire At Police Officers, Shot Dead Following Pursuit In Texas

Texas police on Sunday shot and killed a man following a pursuit after he hijacked a bus and opened fire at three police officers.

The suspect, identified as 31-year-old Ramon Thomas Villagomez, boarded a Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) bus late Sunday morning near Richardson and started firing, shattering the windows of the bus. The driver and one other passenger, who was on the bus during the incident, were taken as hostages. He then commanded the bus driver to move.

“Just after 11 a.m., we received a call of a weapons disturbance on a bus in Garland where a person was holding a DART bus driver at gunpoint,” the Garland Police Department said in a statement.

The officers who responded to the situation set on a pursuit chasing the bus that sped through several neighborhoods and multiple jurisdictions while the gunman continued to open fire at the officers.

“The bus traveled through multiple cities where the gunman was firing out of the bus at officers,” the statement continued.

A DART officer and a Garland police officer was shot during the pursuit eastbound along the President George Bush Turnpike. Their injuries were reported to be non-life threatening. Another Rowlette officer who was driving the patrol car was also injured when a bullet hit the car’s front breaking the windshield. He was reported recovering.

"During the pursuit shots were continually being fired from the actual gunman inside the bus toward the officers and the officers were returning fire," Garland police officer Pedro Barineau told local media.

The officers threw spikes on the road bringing the vehicle to halt on northbound George Bush road just before Liberty Grove. The gunman, who refused to surrender, exited the bus and continued firing at the officers. He was shot at the scene and was then taken to the nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.

The police locked down both entrances to the President George Bush Turnpike while the officers investigated the scene.

“George Bush between Hwy 66 and Liberty Grove shutdown. Multiple agencies involved and still gathering information,” the statement said.

Both the driver and the passenger on the bus were unharmed.

Officer Barineau referring to the coronavirus lockdown scenario said, "If it weren't for current circumstances, the situation could've been far worse with more passengers involved."