Gunman in custody after Dilley manhunt

A 12-hour manhunt for a man considered armed and dangerous after firing shots at police and holding a woman at gunpoint in Dilley ended in his arrest last week.

Dilley police say they were dispatched to a home on West Bueno Street around 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, September 20, after an emergency call regarding a woman being held at gunpoint during a domestic dispute.

Officers arriving at the residence reported that 24-year-old Robert Rodriguez fired eight rounds at the responding patrolmen. An investigation revealed that three of the shots had struck the officers’ patrol vehicles.

The report indicates Rodriguez fled the scene on foot after firing at the officers.

Police summoned assistance from Frio County deputies who reported finding several spent shell casings on the road and on the property.

The Frio County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that deputies interviewed a woman at the residence and were told that Rodriguez had approached her while she had been sitting outside with her children.

The woman reported that when she had refused to talk to Rodriguez, he had pulled her close and held a gun to her abdomen. He had then allegedly held the firearm to her throat.

Rodriguez was able to evade police for nearly 12 hours before officers found him three blocks away from the local elementary school.

Dilley schools were placed on lockdown Wednesday as police used ground and aerial patrol to locate Rodriguez, who was found in an apartment unit on Ann Street around 2 p.m.

Dilley police sought the assistance of the US Marshals Service to carry out a search warrant.

The report shows that Rodriguez did not have a firearm in his possession when he was found and arrested.

Rodriguez faces a second-degree felony charge for assault with a deadly weapon; two third-degree felony charges for deadly conduct by discharge of a firearm; two first-degree felony charges for aggravated assault against a public servant; and a third-degree felony charge for unlawful restraint. He was held in lieu of a total $582,000 in bonds.

“The Dilley Police Department would like to thank the public for their assistance in providing information on the defendant’s whereabouts that led to his arrest,” a spokesperson from the department said earlier this week. “We would also like to thank the Department of Public Safety for the aircraft, the US Marshals Service, the Frio County Sheriff’s Office and Pearsall Police Chief Daniel Flores. With the assistance of all these agencies working together we were able to apprehend the suspect immediately.”