A Texas prisoner serving a life sentence for murder escaped from a transport bus Thursday after stabbing a guard, setting off a search in a rural county between Dallas and Houston, authorities said.
Multiple law enforcement agencies were searching an area off an interstate in Leon County for Gonzalo Lopez, 46, who was convicted in 2006 of killing another man in Hidalgo County along the Texas-Mexico border in 2005.
Lopez was also convicted of attempted capital murder in 2007 for a 2004 incident in Webb County.
Prison officials have not provided details on the events leading up to Lopez’s escape. The injuries to the guard were not considered life-threatening, said Jason Clark, the chief of staff for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
Leon County is about halfway between Dallas and Houston.
Prison records show Lopez was most recently being held at a lockup in Gatesville, more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) from where authorities were searching.
If spotted, Lopez should be avoided and law enforcement should be contacted immediately.
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