The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is searching for an escaped inmate in Leon County. 46-year-old Gonzalo Lopez was able to get out of his shackles and get into the driver compartment. He then stabbed a correctional officer that was driving the bus causing the bus to crash. He then escaped, and the other inmates on the bus are accounted for and transported to Huntsville with a police escort. TDCJ, OIG, and multiple law enforcement agencies are searching for the inmate near Highway 7 westbound in Leon County approximately 1.5 miles from Interstate 45. Lopez is serving a life sentence for capital murder out of Hidalgo County and attempted capital murder out of Webb County. If you spot Lopez, immediately contact 911 and do not approach him. Highway 7 between Marquez and Centerville is closed. Lopez was being transported from the Hughes Unit in Gatesville to Huntsville for medical reasons.
