Automatic gunfire from an armored van and possibly other gunmen on foot shattered the glass frontage at Dallas Police headquarters before the van sped away, leading police to a standoff with the driver. A bomb was also found outside the headquarters. No officers were wounded.
The attack began about 12:30 a.m. ET today.
The police and the van's driver exchanged gunfire before the van sped off and squad cars chased it to a parking lot in the nearby suburb of Hutchins, where gunfire was again exchanged, Dallas Police Chief David Brown told reporters.
He said negotiators were talking to the suspect via cell phone and trying to bring the standoff to a peaceful resolution.
Brown said the suspect, a white male, identified himself as James Boulware. He spoke as he was surrounded by a SWAT unit. The gunman "told our negotiators that we took his child, accused him of being a terrorist and that he was going to blow us up," Brown said.
The police chief said conflicting witnesses accounts have described multiple shooters, some saying at least four suspects were involved "including some who may have been strategically positioned at elevated positions," according to The Associated Press.
Brown said police also found four bags scattered around police headquarters, including one that contained a pipe bomb. He said nearby residents were being evacuated as a precaution.
Reuters writes:
"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."
Copyright 2015 NPR. To see more, visit http://www.npr.org/.
