Inset: Heyco Cruz Linares (Arlington Police Department). Background: Police investigate the crime scene at a home in Arlington, Texas (KXAS/YouTube).
A Texas man is facing a capital murder charge after police say he approached an officer’s patrol vehicle with a knife and later told authorities he had killed his children.
Heyco Cruz Linares, 27, was charged with capital murder in the death of his 5-year-old son, the Arlington Police Department announced. He is also accused of evading police and making a terroristic threat against a peace officer.
Authorities said more charges could be filed as the investigation continues.
The incident began shortly before midnight Wednesday at a gas station in the 1400 block of North Cooper Street, where an Arlington patrol officer was parked.
Police said a vehicle pulled alongside the patrol car. A man then stepped out, approached the driver’s-side window and “immediately hit the window with a knife.”
The officer reversed from the parking space and moved to a safer location before activating the patrol car’s overhead lights. After exiting the vehicle, the officer repeatedly ordered the man to drop the knife, according to police.
The man, later identified as Linares, allegedly ignored the commands, got back into his vehicle and drove away, authorities said.
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The officer returned to the patrol car and attempted to stop the suspect, but police said Linares failed to pull over. Officers from the Grand Prairie Police Department assisted in stopping the vehicle and arresting him.
During the arrest, Linares reportedly told officers that he had killed his children at their Arlington apartment. Police identified the location as an apartment in the 1600 block of South Cooper Street and immediately sent officers there.
Inside, officers found two young boys suffering from injuries that appeared consistent with a knife attack, police said.
The children, ages 5 and 2, were taken to a nearby hospital. The older boy was pronounced dead, while the younger child remained hospitalized Thursday in stable condition.
Authorities have not identified a possible motive. Police told Fox affiliate KDFW that the boys’ mother was at work when the alleged attack occurred.
Arlington Police Chief Al Jones said the case has taken a significant emotional toll on the officers who responded.
“A lot of our officers have young kids around this age, and I can tell you that it is going to have a long-lasting impact on them, especially when you’re dealing with young kids that age,” Jones said. He added that the department is working with peer counselors and a chaplain to check in with the officers involved, calling the case “a real tragic situation” and emphasizing the need to support them.
