![]() Williams said he believed the soldiers successfully delivered the vaccine supply to the town of Matador. The Texas National Guard said the incident remains under investigation. The Department of Homeland Security requested to hold him and will probably bring federal charges, Williams said. ![]() It is also not clear whether Harris, who remains in jail, has an attorney. None of the soldiers was armed, Williams said, which is typical for domestic responses, such as coronavirus-related missions.Īuthorities said they believe Harris was in the area before the incident but are not sure exactly where. Harris had another pistol magazine in a pocket and a third magazine in his truck, along with more ammunition. National Guard troops ambushed at gunpoint while transporting coronavirus vaccine, police say Belgium reverts to strict lockdown amid spike in virus cases. ![]() One of the soldiers called 911, and Idalou officers arrived a few minutes later and arrested Harris without incident. 45-caliber pistol at one of the soldiers, said he was a detective and ordered the soldiers out of the vehicles, Williams said. They stopped at a gas station across the highway for drinks, Williams said, and Harris followed the convoy from there.Īfter he stopped the vans, Harris pointed a. It appeared Harris pursued the soldiers almost as soon as they left an armory in Lubbock. Larry Harris told police he thought the three white vans, which National Guard troops were using to transport coronavirus vaccine, were part of a kidnapping of a woman and child. The soldiers were not harmed in the incident. Harris was arrested soon after police arrived and charged with several offenses, including aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and an obscure law that makes it a crime to interfere with Texas military forces, Williams said. “Some were so young, I thought they may have been part of an ROTC detachment,” Williams told The Washington Post. Harris tried to run the vans off the road, then swerved into oncoming traffic to stop them before ordering 11 soldiers out at gunpoint, culminating in a bizarre moment that left them shaken on the side of a small-town highway road, said Idalou Police Chief Eric C. But Larry Harris, a 66-year-old Arizona man, later told police he thought the three unmarked white vans were involved in the kidnapping of a woman and child. The soldiers were transporting coronavirus vaccine to a town 80 miles away, authorities said. Monday on the edge of Lubbock, Tex., when a man, armed with a loaded pistol, allegedly barreled down the highway in hot pursuit of Texas National Guard members, furious about the imagined cargo. Troops also serve as a critical tool to administer vaccines in support of President Joe Biden’s goal to return the country to relative normalcy by Independence Day.It was before 9 a.m. These missions include food distribution and facilitating coronavirus testing. There are 31,000 troops deployed across the country for coronavirus relief, according to the National Guard Bureau. ![]() According to jail records, Harris has not yet hired a lawyer. It is unclear if he is receiving any mental health evaluations or treatment officials with the jail have not yet responded to a request for comment. He remains in custody at Lubbock County Detention Center. Harris was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, unlawful restraint of the 11 soldiers, unlawful carrying of a weapon, impersonating a public servant and interference with Texas military forces. "We are grateful that the officers were able to take him into custody without any of the Guardsmen, the officers or the suspect getting hurt." This was a very dangerous situation since the suspect was standing in the midst of the unarmed Guardsman with a loaded weapon, then the Idalou officers arrived on scene," Williams said. Harris appeared to be mentally disturbed. Police said in a statement that Harris had additional magazines on his person and in his vehicle. Idalou officers took Harris into custody without incident. No service members or police were injured. ![]()
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