DALLAS — A threat against Dallas police and the sighting of a suspicious person in a parking garage near their headquarters put officers on high alert Saturday afternoon, days after they came under fire in downtown Dallas.
Officers searched the garage after using a shotgun to break a lock on a fence there, but the hunt turned up nothing. Other media reported that the man may have fled.
An early report of gunfire was debunked by police, who also said there was never a lockdown at the headquarters.
But police were clearly taking no chances, especially in light of the deadly assault two days in earlier in downtown Dallas.
Earlier Saturday, police commanders met at headquarters to update Chief David Brown on the latest in the investigation into Thursday night’s deadly shooting.
But after the meeting wrapped up, the police chief told the investigators to go home and get some rest because they’ve been working tirelessly since the attack.
Officers at the building were on high alert shortly afterward, after police received an anonymous threat against them. Lamar Street was also shut down, as was the nearby Cedars DART station.
Not long after that, there was a report of a suspicious man, possibly wearing all black, in the garage behind the headquarters, and SWAT officers surrounded the building with guns drawn.
No shots were fired, and no suspect was found in the garage.
The parking garage is gated, so it would be difficult to get inside in a vehicle without an access card. But it would be possible to enter the garage on foot.
Mourners visiting a makeshift memorial in front of headquarters were still outside as SWAT officers moved toward the back of the building to secure the parking garage.
During the lockdown, one mourner knelt down and began shouting prayers as police raced around.
SWAT officers checked cars near headquarters and went through nearby Dumpsters.
Officers, including homicide and robberies detectives who work evenings, are inside the building.
“The Dallas Police Department received an anonymous threat against law enforcement across the city and has taken precautionary measures to heightened security,” according to a written statement from police.
The doors to the complex on South Lamar Street were locked and officers could be seen inside taking a defensive stance at the doors.
SWAT officers were dispatched to HQ, and a police source said a lockdown was in effect, but that wasn’t confirmed in the police statement.
WFAA-TV was reporting the threat came from an armed group in Houston.
The threat comes two days after a lone gunman killed five officers and wounded several more in a sniper attack in downtown Dallas.
The headquarters building came under fire itself in June of last year when a man in an armored vehicle attacked police.
