Texas inmate serving life for murder overpowers driver, escapes from custody abcnews.go.com

PHOTO: This undated photo provided by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice shows Gonzalo Lopez. Abcnews

A Texas inmate serving life for murder managed to break free from his shackles, overpower a bus driver and escape from custody, officials said.

Gonzalo Lopez, 46, was on a transport bus en route from Gatesville to Huntsville for a medical appointment when he escaped in Leon County on Thursday, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said.

Two officers were on the bus: one at the front as well as one in the back who was armed with a shotgun, Texas Department of Criminal Justice spokesman Robert Hurst told reporters.

Lopez “was somehow able to get out of his shackles and get into the driver’s compartment of the bus,” Hurst said.

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