Shootout near Border: Bullet Barely Missed Deputy

EDINBURG, Texas—A bullet fired during a shootout near the Texas border barely missed striking a deputy on his side–the grazing shot tore a piece off of his uniform.

As reported by Breitbart Texas, over the weekend an Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Deputy was conducting a routine patrol near the border city of Weslaco, Texas, when he saw a vehicle that had crashed into a fence by a house.

The deputy stopped to see if there were any victims and to render aid, however, when he approached the vehicle, the driver jumped out and began to run away.

The deputy went after the driver, identified on Monday afternoon as 19-year-old Marcos Alanis, began firing at the deputy. The attack led to a brief exchange of gunfire between the deputy and Alanis, who fled into a brushy area as the deputy moved back to his patrol car and called for backup.

Additional deputies, other agencies, and air support combed the area in a manhunt for Alanis. Authorities found him hours later when a police dog named Bo with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives found him hiding in an irrigation canal. The weapon, which authorities described as a Glock handgun, was found nearby.

Authorities have identified Alanis as a person associated with the Valluco prison gang.

On Monday, Alanis went before a local Justice of the Peace who formally charged him with one count of attempted capital murder and set his bond at $1 million.

After the arraignment, Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra held a press conference where referred to the shooting as one of the dangers that law enforcement officers face everyday. 

Ildefonso Ortiz is an award winning journalist with Breitbart Texas you can follow him on Twitter and on Facebook.