Manhunt: Hispanic man serving life sentence stabs guard in escape

An intense search was conducted this Thursday to find the whereabouts of a Hispanic prisoner from Texas who was serving a life sentence for murder and escaped from a transport bus after stabbing the driver.

The fugitive, identified as Gonzalo López, 46, fled just as he was being transported through León County, 50 miles north of the prison where he was being held. It is not known how, but López got to the cabin and stabbed the driver.

According to authorities, the driver was stabbed several times, and transferred to a hospital. He is reportedly expected to survive. In addition to the fugitive, 16 other prisoners were on the bus, but no other escaped.

Lopez was convicted of killing a man in 2006 on the Texas-Mexico border.

The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is searching for an escaped inmate in Leon County. 46 year old Gonzalo Lopez assaulted a correctional officer on a transport bus & then fled from the vehicle. pic.twitter.com/FTa2Dl8fQv

— TDCJ (@TDCJ) May 12, 2022

The search was taking place in a rural area between Dallas and Houston, authorities said. Due to the high dangerousness of the prisoner, classes were canceled in the schools of the Centerville School District.

The Leon County Sheriff said multiple law enforcement agencies are involved in the search, supported by helicopters from the Texas Department of Public Safety.

Prison records indicate Lopez was recently detained in Gatesville, more than 100 miles from where authorities were conducting the search Friday.