New photos have been released of “dangerous” Leon County prison bus escapee Gonzalo Lopez.
The photos were taken from surveillance video of Lopez as he was being escorted — last Thursday — to the prison bus, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
At the time of his escape, a week ago, the 46-year-old Lopez was being taken for a medical appointment via bus from the Hughes Unit in Gatesville to the Estelle Unit in Huntsville.
“Due to his criminal history and restrictive housing status, inmate Lopez was being transported in a separate, caged area of the bus, designated for high-risk inmates,” TDCJ said in Wednesday’s release. “During the transport, inmate Lopez defeated his restraints, cut through the expanded metal, crawled out through the bottom of the cage, and attacked the driver. The officer stopped the bus and engaged in an altercation with inmate Lopez, both eventually exiting the bus.
“The second officer at the rear of the bus exited the rear door and approached inmate Lopez, who then reentered the bus and began driving down the road. The officers fired shots at the inmate and disabled the bus by shooting the rear tire. The bus traveled a short distance and then left the roadway, where inmate Lopez exited and ran into the woods off of Highway 7 in Leon County.”
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Lopez is serving a life sentence for capital murder in Hidalgo County and attempted capital murder in Webb County, TDCJ said. Lopez committed the murder with a pickaxe.
Anyone with information on him should call TDCJ OIG Crime Stoppers at 1-800-832-8477 or (936) 437-5171.
According to TDCJ, Lopez is roughly 6-foot-tall and 190 pounds. He was last seen wearing white clothing in a wooded area off of Highway 7 in Leon County.
A $50,000 reward has been offered for information leading to his capture.
