Yesterday morning, just after 11 a.m., Garland Police Department officers responded to a weapons disturbance in the 2900 block of West Buckingham Road. Officers were made aware that a driver of a DART bus was in transit and being held at gunpoint.
Detectives learned the gunman boarded the DART bus at approximately 9:30 a.m. at Spring Valley and Coit roads. He casually went to the back of the bus and sat down. Between the time he boarded the bus and just before 11 a.m. passengers were freely getting on and off the bus.
The bus arrived at the DART station on West Walnut and Fifth Street in Garland just after 11 a.m. and only one passenger remained on the bus. The gunman took control of the bus and ordered the driver where to go.
The bus traveled westbound on West Walnut and turned southbound on Marie Curie Blvd. The bus traveled south on Shiloh Road and then west on West Walnut Street.
While on West Walnut, DART Officers arrived and attempted to stop the bus. The gunman fired at DART officers while on W. Walnut in Garland.
From West Walnut, the bus turned north onto Audelia Road and then east onto Buckingham Road. When the bus entered Garland, GPD officers joined the pursuit. While on Buckingham the gunman actively shot at the police vehicles in pursuit and struck a DART officer in the leg.
The bus continued east on West Buckingham and onto Country Club Road. The bus then traveled on Highway 66 until it arrived at Lakeshore in Rockwall. Rockwall police officers deployed spike strips. The bus then made a U-turn at Lakeshore and headed westbound back into Rowlett. Richardson police officers deployed spikes strips near Scenic in Rowlett. The gunman continually shot at officers during the pursuit.
The bus turned north onto the George Bush Turnpike. While on George Bush a Garland officer was shot in the neck though the front windshield of the patrol car. The bus finally came to a stop between Highway 66 and Liberty Grove Road just before noon.
Once stopped, the gunman again fired at offices and exited the bus through a window. He ran northbound with the gun in hand, where he was engaged by pursuing officers. The gunman was stuck by gunfire and incapacitated.
Detectives recovered a handgun, four loaded magazines, along with boxes of ammunition. The gunman fired more than 70 rounds at officers, which struck eight police vehicles, one marked security vehicle and one civilian vehicle.
Several agencies were involved in the pursuit including DART, Dallas, Richardson, Rowlett, Rockwall and Garland.
The DART officer and Garland officer were the only officers injured in this incident. Both were transported to nearby hospitals and later released.
The Garland Police Department is leading the investigation and coordinating with the Texas Rangers.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Original press release:
Sunday, April 19 just after 11 a.m., Garland Police Department officers responded to a weapons disturbance in the 2900 block of West Buckingham Road. Officers were made aware that a driver of a DART bus was in transit and being held at gunpoint.
DART Officers arrived at the scene and attempted to get the bus to stop. The bus did not stop and the gunman began firing at the officers. A DART officer was struck by gunfire in the leg.
Garland officers arrived and along with Dart Police, continued to pursue the bus. It is believed the gunman told the bus driver where to drive, which lead officers in a pursuit through multiple cities, including Dallas, Richardson, Garland, Rockwall County and ultimately ending in Rowlett.
During the chase, the suspect fired numerous times at the pursuing officers, striking multiple police vehicles. One of the rounds penetrated the front windshield of a Garland police car and struck a Garland officer in the neck.
Officers were able to utilize spike strips to disable the tires on the bus. The bus slowly came to a stop on northbound George Bush Freeway between Liberty Grove and Highway 66. When the bus stopped, the gunman exited the bus with his weapon in hand and was engaged by the pursuing officers.
The suspect was struck by gunfire and was incapacitated. He was transported to a hospital where he later died.
The DART Officer and Garland Officer that were shot by the suspect were transported to local hospitals with non-life-threatening injuries and are expected to recover.
The bus was occupied by the bus driver, the gunman, and a female passenger. Both the bus driver and passenger were not injured.
Detectives learned the gunman, 31-year-old Ramon Thomas Villagomez, was a wanted suspect for the murder his girlfriend out of San Antonio and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon of another relative out of Brazoria County.
The investigation is ongoing.