Austin serial bomber dies in wee-hours confrontation after police trace him to motel
The suspected serial bomber who killed two people and terrorized Austin, Texas, for three harrowing weeks was killed in a dramatic confrontation with police overnight Wednesday, according to authorities.
The suspect, identified by police early Wednesday as a 24-year old male, was killed near the motel he was traced to by authorities using surveillance footage from a Federal Express drop-off store and cell phone triangulation technology, according to The Austin American-Statesman.
The man died after fleeing the motel in a car, with police hot on his tail. He drove into a ditch, sparking the fatal confrontation.
"We wanted this to come to a peaceful resolution tonight," said Austin Police Chief Brian Manley. "However, we were not afforded that opportunity when he started to drive away."
The suspected serial bomber who killed two people and terrorized Austin, Texas, for three harrowing weeks was killed in a dramatic confrontation with police overnight Wednesday, according to authorities.
The suspect, identified by police early Wednesday as a 24-year old male, was killed near the motel he was traced to by authorities using surveillance footage from a Federal Express drop-off store and cell phone triangulation technology, according to The Austin American-Statesman.
The man died after fleeing the motel in a car, with police hot on his tail. He drove into a ditch, sparking the fatal confrontation.
"We wanted this to come to a peaceful resolution tonight," said Austin Police Chief Brian Manley. "However, we were not afforded that opportunity when he started to drive away."
Law enforcement responds to where the Austin bombing suspect detonated two packages as police closed in. (FOX7)
"Late last night and early this morning, we felt very confident this was suspect in bombings throughout Austin," Manley said.
As police took up positions around the motel and waited for tactical units to arrive, the suspect bolted, Manley said.
AUSTIN PACKAGE BOMB ATTACKS TIMELINE
Police followed the vehicle, and when it went off the road, SWAT team officers moved in. The suspect detonated at least one bomb inside his vehicle, police said.
"The suspect is deceased with significant injuries," Manley said, adding that he has not yet been positively identified by the medical examiner.Manley also warned that more package bombs could be out there."We don't know where he has been in the past 24 hours," Manley said. "If you see something that looks suspicious, see something out of place, see something that gives you concern, call 911."resident Trump reacted to the news early Wednesday morning, tweeting, "AUSTIN BOMBING SUSPECT IS DEAD. Great job by law enforcement and all concerned!"Witnesses to the confrontation told FOX7 there was a bomb robot used by law enforcement, but they didn't hear any explosion."There was no smoke coming out of the cars," an unidentified witness told FOX7.
The incident appears to have brought to an end a terrifying sequence that began March 2, when Anthony Steven House, 39, was killed when a package he discovered on his porch in northeast Austin exploded.
Ten days later, a second "porch bomb" exploded nearby, killing 17-year-old Draylen Masonand injuring his mother. A third bomb went off on March 12, injuring Esperanza Herrera, 75, and police quickly determined all three were connected.
As the Texas capital's residents sought answers, developments took a frightening turn on March 18, when two men were injured by a bomb that was set off by a sophisticated "trip wire," made of fishing string. That bomb, along with the accelerated pattern of attacks, spurred fears authorities were hunting a highly trained maniac.
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Just after midnight on March 19, a packaged destined for Austin exploded at a FedEx delivery facility in Schertz, some 65 miles south of Austin. That package had been sent from Austin, and police were able to track it to the drop-off store where they obtained surveillance video.ate Tuesday night an explosion in Austin caused by an "incendiary device" was said to be unrelated to previous bombings in Texas that have killed two people and severely wounded four others since March 2, police and federal authorities said.Also Tuesday, the FBI said a suspicious package reported at a FedEx distribution center near the Austin airport "contained an explosive device." The two packages were sent from a mail delivery office in Sunset Valley, an Austin suburb south of downtown.Someone dropped off a box containing an “artillery simulator” at an Austin Goodwill location that detonated, injuring an employee and triggering a bomb scare.Austin assistance police Chief Ely Reyes says there was "no reason to believe" the Tuesday blast was a copycat incident.Tuesday’s victim was a Goodwill Industries employee who was "being treated for non-life-threatening injuries," the Austin branch of the nonprofit tweeted. The man, in his 30s, was looking in a donation bin at the time of the blast, Austin's KVUE-TV reported.According to a Goodwill employee speaking to the outlet, the victim was talking with someone about safety when the suspicious item was found. While trying to dispose of it, an employee handled one of the artillery simulators and it went off, the Austin American-Statesman reported.
