VAN ZANDT COUNTY, Texas – The Van Zandt County Sheriff's Office arrested and charged Stephen Garrett Martin of Van Zandt County, Texas, with attempted capital murder of a peace officer after he called police and then shot at the responding officer – striking his patrol car.
{loadposition adinsert}
The incident unfolded on Sunday afternoon, June 22, 2014, at approximately 2:50 p.m. in the 300 block of Van Zandt County Road 2140 just south of I-20 and six miles east of the Kaufman County line.
Martin called police and reported a criminal trespass complaint. After the responding officer arrived and before he could exit his vehicle, Martin fire two shots at the officer, striking the front of his patrol car one time.
The officer attempted to flee the gunfire by reversing down Martin's driveway but struck a metal gate, fence post, and barbed wire fence near the entry of the property where his vehicle became trapped. The officer exited the vehicle and ordered Martin at gunpoint, who was now on the front porch with a handgun, to lower his weapon and raise his hands. Martin complied with the deputies orders and a Van police officer arrived to assist the deputy.
Martin was taken into custody without further incident. No law enforcement officers were injured during this incident.
Officers found a second fully-loaded handgun in Martin's waistband after placing him under arrest. Martin is currently being held at the Van Zandt County Jail on a $1 million bond and charged with attempted capital murder of a peace officer.
Martin told officers there was a body inside the residence and there were two men in camouflage hiding in the trees in front of his house, one on each side of the driveway. Additional officers arrived and swept the property and home and determined there was not a body inside or two individuals in Martin's front yard.
While searching for the body mentioned by Martin, officers observed numerous weapons inside Martin's residence which was in disarray and shot up with firearms, according to authorities. An evidentiary search warrant was issued for the residence and officers seized a large cache of weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
“There are many individuals living within our communities who are suffering from emotional issues, mental health issues or anger issues,” Van Zandt County Sheriff M. L. Ray stated in a press release this morning.
“Some of these individuals are very dangerous. Law enforcement agencies are struggling with how to deal with these individuals who need to be in mental health hospitals, but because of mental health budgetary issues end up being incarcerated in county jails all over the state,” he said.
Recently the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the Canton Police Department conducted a sixty-hour Basic SWAT training school and a second school has been scheduled for July.
Sheriff Ray stated, “Unfortunately our peace officers are encountering more and more of these types of dangerous situations so we are now training them in the use of special weapons and tactics for officer safety and there is a great demand for this training from area law enforcement agencies.”
Ray continued, “At the end of the day, my job is to make sure that the men and women who work for the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office go home safely to their families at the end of their shifts, I take that responsibility very seriously.”
The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms is assisting in the criminal investigation of the shooting because one weapon seized at the residence is believed to have been altered to function as a fully automatic weapon.
Several local and state agencies responded to assist the original responding deputy including the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Martin called police and reported a criminal trespass complaint. After the responding officer arrived and before he could exit his vehicle, Martin fire two shots at the officer, striking the front of his patrol car one time.
The officer attempted to flee the gunfire by reversing down Martin's driveway but struck a metal gate, fence post, and barbed wire fence near the entry of the property where his vehicle became trapped. The officer exited the vehicle and ordered Martin at gunpoint, who was now on the front porch with a handgun, to lower his weapon and raise his hands. Martin complied with the deputies orders and a Van police officer arrived to assist the deputy.
Martin was taken into custody without further incident. No law enforcement officers were injured during this incident.
Officers found a second fully-loaded handgun in Martin's waistband after placing him under arrest. Martin is currently being held at the Van Zandt County Jail on a $1 million bond and charged with attempted capital murder of a peace officer.
Martin told officers there was a body inside the residence and there were two men in camouflage hiding in the trees in front of his house, one on each side of the driveway. Additional officers arrived and swept the property and home and determined there was not a body inside or two individuals in Martin's front yard.
While searching for the body mentioned by Martin, officers observed numerous weapons inside Martin's residence which was in disarray and shot up with firearms, according to authorities. An evidentiary search warrant was issued for the residence and officers seized a large cache of weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.
“There are many individuals living within our communities who are suffering from emotional issues, mental health issues or anger issues,” Van Zandt County Sheriff M. L. Ray stated in a press release this morning.
“Some of these individuals are very dangerous. Law enforcement agencies are struggling with how to deal with these individuals who need to be in mental health hospitals, but because of mental health budgetary issues end up being incarcerated in county jails all over the state,” he said.
Recently the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office in conjunction with the Canton Police Department conducted a sixty-hour Basic SWAT training school and a second school has been scheduled for July.
Sheriff Ray stated, “Unfortunately our peace officers are encountering more and more of these types of dangerous situations so we are now training them in the use of special weapons and tactics for officer safety and there is a great demand for this training from area law enforcement agencies.”
Ray continued, “At the end of the day, my job is to make sure that the men and women who work for the Van Zandt County Sheriff’s Office go home safely to their families at the end of their shifts, I take that responsibility very seriously.”
The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms is assisting in the criminal investigation of the shooting because one weapon seized at the residence is believed to have been altered to function as a fully automatic weapon.
Several local and state agencies responded to assist the original responding deputy including the Texas Department of Public Safety.