Suspect arrested
Ryan Anthony Lopez
In an incident that authorities said might otherwise have ended as a “suicide by cop,” police convinced an armed and barricaded driver to exit his vehicle after a pursuit that began in Mason County ended in Lampasas on Sunday morning.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers used roadway spikes and shot out the tires of a Pleasanton suspect’s vehicle to end a multi-county pursuit that began in Mason hours earlier.
At 10:37 a.m., officers stopped the white 2018 Toyota SUV in the 2300 block of U.S. Highway 281 in Lampasas, and the armed driver barricaded himself inside the vehicle. Police stopped all southbound traffic at the Naruna Road intersection, and a line of police vehicles stopped all northbound traffic, Lampasas County Sheriff’s Office authorities said.
In a news statement, Sheriff Jesus “Jess” Ramos said LCSO Deputy Luis Castanon notified him of the situation occurring just outside Putters & Gutters Fun Center that morning.
“Deputy Castanon further related the male subject had called the Lampasas County sheriff’s 911 line, and stated he had a gun, children in his vehicle and was not cooperating with the police,” Ramos said. “The suspect had barricaded himself with the children in his vehicle. The male subject was requesting the media on site and also wanted to speak to the governor.”
Officers from LCSO, Lampasas Police Department, Burnet County Sheriff’s Department and Texas DPS surrounded the suspect vehicle, which “had the front tires and the back right tire deflated completely coming to rest on the rims,” the news statement read. “All officers had exited their units and were aiming their issued rifles at the Toyota vehicle.”
Officers observed no children in the vehicle and issued the driver commands over a speaker to leave the SUV with his hands up and to surrender. Burnet County Sheriff’s Office deputies contacted their Special Response Team, which was en route to the location to assist.
During the standoff, officers shot projectiles filled with Oleoresin Capsicum chemicals, also known as pepper spray, at the vehicle, authorities said.
Through a call to LCSO Communications, Ramos confirmed the suspect’s personal information through a check of the cell phone number he had used to dial 911. The suspect was identified as Ryan Anthony Lopez, 38, who had no children and is a retired US Armed Forces veteran. Ramos then called the cell phone number, and Lopez confirmed his identity.
Ramos spoke with Lopez in an attempt to learn his reason for fleeing from the police, barricading himself and to offer any assistance to end the incident peacefully.
“Lopez became very angered and began yelling, stating he was tired of being harassed by the police, and that he had been tracked and shocked by the police for years, and he needed it to stop,” Ramos said. “He stated the CIA was also involved with his harassment.”
The sheriff said he spoke to Lopez for several minutes before Lopez hung up. Ramos attempted to reach him several times by call and text for approximately 10 minutes. The sheriff then gained Lopez’s confidence by stepping out from behind cover to allow the suspect to see him.
Lopez confirmed he observed Ramos, but he continued to be “very distraught and angered,” according to the news release.
During Ramos’ conversation with Lopez, the suspect confirmed he “did not have a child in his vehicle and was not a father to any children. When asked who else was in Lopez’s vehicle, he stated he had his dog with him, and it was only him and his dog in the vehicle. During the interview, Lopez threatened to shoot himself several times. He stated he had a .40 caliber pistol and was not afraid to shoot himself.”
After speaking with him for several minutes, Ramos was able to negotiate Lopez’s surrender without any further incident.
“At approximately 11:57 a.m., Lopez decided to surrender and stated he had cleared his weapon, locked the slide back and left it on his console,” Ramos said. “Lopez exited his vehicle with his hands up and was immediately taken into custody,” Ramos said.
Lopez was charged with two counts of aggravated assault of a public servant with a vehicle, a first-degree felony; two counts of evading detention with a vehicle, a state-jail felony; and unlawfully carrying a weapon, a Class A misdemeanor.
Ramos said Lopez is not currently believed to have been under the influence of any drugs or alcohol.
Authorities said Lopez will be arraigned and formally charged in the counties where these crimes were committed during the pursuit. He was transported and booked in Burnet County Jail.
“An unloaded .9 mm semiautomatic Ruger pistol was found in Lopez’s vehicle with no ammunition in the pistol, magazine and in the vehicle,” Ramos said.
Lopez’s SUV was towed to Burnet County for evidence processing and storage.
LCSO confirmed a dog was taken into custody.
Texas DPS will handle the investigation after this incident.
Ramos said he was “very appreciative of all law enforcement agencies’ assistance.” He attributed the positive outcome of this incident to his “patience and experience in dealing with dangerous persons and situations” throughout his career.
“It is highly possible Lopez was considering a ‘suicide by cop’ result,” the sheriff said.
Ramos later told the Dispatch Record that he had negotiated Lopez' surrender with a promise for help and resources.
"I said, 'Buddy, we need to get you some help.' I told him I had a lot of resources and I needed him to trust me. I told him I would see him through. A promise is a promise," Ramos said.
