Man With Guns, Mask and Pot Arrested Outside DPD Southwest Division

Just before 3 p.m. Wednesday, a black Dodge Durango approached the front entrance of the Dallas Police Southwest Patrol Division at 4230 West Illinois Avenue. Guards outside the building stopped the driver, who "asked questions and made statements that led the officers to take the suspect into custody for a mental health evaluation."

Once in custody, the driver, later identified as 22-year-old Adan Israel Salazar, told police he had guns in his truck. Officers searched the Durango and found two 9mm handguns, a Guy Fawkes mask and a stash of marijuana. Fawkes planned an assassination in 1605 and his visage has been adopted by modern anarchists. Officers took the suspect to Jack Evans Police Headquarters in the Cedars for questioning.

Salazar has been charged with making a terroristic threat, unlawful carrying of a weapon, and possession of marijuana, police announced Wednesday night.

This incident comes two months after a drive by shooting at the South Central Substation on Camp Wisdom Road. On February 27, two suspects in a black sports car fired at least nine shots at a police car guarding the substation. The shooters didn't hit anyone, but Dallas Police Association First Vice President Frederick Frazier said the officers outside could have been.

"There is no security at these places. You have these officers, sitting in marked cars that are just absolute targets. You might as well just put a big-ass bulls-eye on that squad car or that substation and say 'Come by and light us up,'" Frazier said. "The mayor, the City Council have failed us. They have sat there and sat there and sat there."

Dallas police began placing officers in squad cars outside of substations following the June 13, 2015 attack on police headquarters downtown. During that attack James Boulware opened fire on DPD's headquarters in the Cedars, eventually leading police on a chase to a Jack in the Box in Hutchins. A police sniper killed Boulware with a shot from a .50-caliber rifle.

In the aftermath of the 2015 attack, Dallas Police asked the city for increased security at the department's facilities. So far, that hasn't happened. The city spent $125,000 on a consultant to help learn how to secure the buildings in late 2015. Police have specifically asked for perimeter fencing at substations and increased security for parking lots.

After the February incident, DPD Assistant Chief Randy Blakenbaker explained the balancing act that DPD brass believes is required in securing substations. "The biggest issue when it comes to station security or even headquarters security is the fact that we're a department that is dedicated to our community," Blankenbaker said. "So our stations can't become fortresses that are imposing and say to our citizens, 'Don't come here.'"