Domestic violence case prompts manhunt, community-wide alert

A Cotulla man who had been listed as wanted and possibly armed was corralled by sheriff’s deputies shortly after noon on Thursday, September 18, more than eight hours after fleeing a domestic violence incident.

The fugitive’s unknown whereabouts Thursday morning triggered a series of security responses, among them locked doors at city government offices and some businesses, and a secure hold at Cotulla ISD campuses.

Identified as Angel Gallegos, 19, the man had been wanted for questioning by deputies dispatched at 3:30 a.m. to the Madison Pointe apartment complex on Mars Drive, where a woman reported having been assaulted.

Gallegos was listed as having been in possession of a firearm, although he was unarmed when officers found him at Madison Pointe later in the day, according to the sheriff’s office. The man later made a statement regarding his involvement in the domestic violence incident and reportedly gave investigators information that led to recovery of the weapon.

The weapon was found to be a BB gun that had been altered to resemble a semiautomatic pistol.

According to Sgt. Investigator Homar Olivarez, the apparent alteration included attaching an ammunition clip with bullets to the base of the BB gun.

Deputies had arrived at Madison Pointe during the night to find an injured young adult woman who required transport by ambulance to Frio Regional Hospital. Reports from the scene indicated that Gallegos had fled from the apartment at the complex before being questioned.

“We were given credible information that he had a firearm,” the sergeant investigator said.

The ensuing manhunt involved officers combing the community and conducting interviews that led to Gallegos’ discovery.

“The subject was still at large by the daytime hours, and the decision was taken to advise the school district of the situation,” Sgt. Olivarez said. “This was done out of an abundance of caution, although there was no indication of a direct threat against the school.”

The Cotulla ISD administration has indicated that its safety measures did not take the form of a full lockdown but involved barring access to its campuses. Students were able to move freely about their schools but community members were prevented from passing through campus gates.

Gallegos was remanded into custody at the La Salle County Jail on a third-degree felony charge of family violence assault by impeding breath or circulation. He remained behind bars Monday in lieu of a $25,000 surety bond.

“We are grateful to the community for its vigilance and caution, and for providing information that enabled us to bring the subject into custody without further incident,” the sergeant said this week. “Gallegos had earlier been carrying a BB gun, but its appearance was that of a firearm to the extent that anyone glancing at it may have believed it was actually a semiautomatic pistol.

“This is an example of what our officers may encounter and an incident in which they may be called upon to make a split-second decision,” Sgt. Olivarez added, “and that decision may be life-altering or lethal.”

Gallegos has a criminal history that includes an October 2023 case when he was 17, in which he and another man and two juveniles were taken into custody after allegedly breaking into or attempting to burglarize as many as 30 vehicles in one night in Cotulla, stealing and later abandoning a vehicle and discharging a stolen firearm during the overnight crime spree.

Gallegos was taken into custody at the Madison Pointe apartments in the 2023 case after officers examined several pieces of security camera footage and identified him as the fourth individual in the case. All four suspects in that case were charged with four counts each of Class A misdemeanor burglary of a vehicle, Class B misdemeanor for criminal mischief with damages up to $750 in value, state jail felony for theft of a firearm, and state jail felony for unauthorized use of a vehicle. Gallegos was additionally charged with third-degree felony deadly conduct, related to his alleged use of the firearm.

Each of the suspects in the 2023 case was charged with Class A misdemeanor for engaging in organized criminal activity, according to the sheriff’s office at the time, because investigators were able to determine that the two adults and two juveniles had planned and executed the crimes together.