Dallas police are investigating how a man officers had detained for shoplifting at a Home Depot on Tuesday managed to conceal a gun that authorities say he then used to kill one officer and critically wound another, in addition to wounding a store employee.
Sources tell WFAA that Armando Juarez had been patted down, but not thoroughly searched, after he tried to steal a drill from the Home Depot store in Northeast Dallas.
After the shooting, Juarez fled the scene but was captured late Tuesday night in Northwest Dallas. He is charged with capital murder in the death of Officer Rogelio Santander, and assault of a public servant after he critically injured Officer Crystal Almeida and Scott Painter, a Home Depot loss prevention officer.
How Juarez was able to conceal his firearm after a pat-down and the lack of handcuffs will undoubtedly be part of an internal and criminal investigation into the events that led to the death of Officer Rogelio Santander. Investigators will be looking at what, if any, policies were violated and whether any change should be made to existing protocols.
Before Tuesday, Juarez was a small-time criminal and a convicted felon with no known history of violence.
In December, Juarez was arrested after a man spotted him in his stolen truck in an apartment complex parking lot. The owner of the stolen truck and his friends chased Juarez down and held him until police arrived, according to an arrest warrant. He was released on a $1,500 bond a week later.
He was soon back in jail in early January after he was arrested for yet another stolen truck, according to court records. That truck had been stolen in Rockwall.
His bond for the first crime was raised to $50,000. But District Judge Dominique Collins agreed to let him out on a personal recognizance bond, a type of bond that meant he didn't have to pay any money to get out. He was released Jan. 17.
Judge Collins did not respond to a request for comment.
Before then, the last time Juarez is known to be in trouble was more than a 10 years ago. He was convicted on a 2007 felony charge and received nine days in jail.
Authorities say his latest crime spree started early Tuesday with the theft of a truck from Josh Johnson’s home in Dallas.
Johnson said he heard a noise in the early morning hours, but didn’t go out to check on it. When he was getting ready to leave for work, he saw that the truck he uses for work was gone.
Hours later, it would be the getaway vehicle that authorities say Juarez used to escape the Home Depot.
“What he did was absolutely horrible on multiple levels,” Johnson said.
According to court records, an off-duty Dallas police officer had detained Juarez inside the store. The officer checked Juarez for a warrant and a hit for a felony warrant came back. The off-duty officer called on-duty officers to respond to the store to confirm the warrant.
When the officers arrived on scene, the off-duty officer went to Santander and Almeida’s car to confirm the warrant. Juarez was wanted for skipping court in connection with one of the earlier felony theft cases.
After confirming the warrant, the off-duty officer was walking back inside the store when he heard “shots fired” over the police radio, court records show.
He ran back inside and found all three shooting victims. Juarez was nowhere in sight. He’d already fled the scene in Johnson’s truck, police say.
Johnson's truck was later found dumped in Oak Cliff.
Juarez’s grandmother, Janie Longoria, told WFAA that he was unemployed and basically homeless. He worked odd jobs as a bricklayer and mechanic. She says he has two children with his long-time girlfriend.
“I've never seen him do anything wrong,” she said Tuesday. “He's a good, hard-working little boy.”
Police searched her home as they looked for Juarez.
Tuesday night, police spotted Juarez in another stolen truck. He was captured after a long and winding chase through Dallas neighborhoods.
“These officers went there to do their job and unfortunately there was an individual in there that wanted to get away and he used any force he could to get away,” says Senior Cpl. Fred Frazier, who was one of the officers who helped take him into custody. “I think everybody that was in that chase yesterday all we wanted to do was catch him -- just catch him and don't get anybody hurt.”
Juarez is currently being held in the Dallas County jail on a charge of capital murder for the death of Santander. He also faces two counts of aggravated assault for the shooting of Almeida and Painter.
Police are also investigating an unrelated check forgery case that occurred in December.