FRED

About one o'clock on the afternoon of July 24, 1974, until shortly before ten o'clock the night of August 3, eleven days later, one of the longest hostage-taking sieges in the history of the United States took place in Texas' Huntsville State Prison. The ringleader, Federico (Fred) Gomez Carrasco, the former boss of the largest drug-running operation in South Texas, was serving life for assault with intent to commit murder on a police officer. Using his connections to smuggle guns and ammunition into the prison, and employing the aid of two other inmates, he took eleven prison workers and four inmates hostage in the prison library. Demanding bulletproof helmets and vests, he planned to use the hostages as shields for his escape.

Negotiations began immediately with prison warden H. H. Husbands and W. J. Estelle, Jr., director of the Texas Department of Corrections. The Texas Rangers, the Department of Public Safety, and the FBI arrived to assist as the media descended on Huntsville. When one of the hostages suggested a moving structure of chalkboards padded with law books to absorb bullets, Carrasco agreed to the plan. The captors entered their escape pod with four hostages and secured nine others to the moving barricade. While the target was en route to an armored car, Estelle had his team blast it with fire hoses. In a violent end to the standoff, Carrasco committed suicide, one of his two accomplices was killed (the other later executed), and two hostages were killed by their captors.

Now go back to 1973 and the Wright City Trooper, while working a late night shift, was following a drunk driver on Tx 16, South of San Antonio. I turned on the emergency lights on the roof of my black/white Plymouth and saw that the driver was reaching under the front seat and trying to find something?

I approached the driver side, but stopped at the rear driver side door and starting hollerin' for the driver to show his "empty" hands. The driver just sat up straight with his head turned to the left toward me, but would not show his hands. My partner, Jimmy T, was easing up on the passenger side and upon shining his flashlight on the driver began to YELL, "He's got a gun, he's got a gun" as the driver held the gun in his right hand resting on his chest pointed toward the driver side window (where I would normally be standing?)

My partner and I each drew our weapons, pointed them at the driver, and began to rather aggressively suggest that something very unpleasant was about to transpire if he didn't throw his gun (Luger 9mm semi-automatic) out on the ground.

After what seemed like an eternity (probably 30 seconds) the driver threw the weapon out and he was promptly politely escorted (threw his ass on the ground and....well, I reckon he got my attention with what he had obviously intended to do and I may not have faithfully upheld the DPS motto which begins with "Courtesy"?)

On the way to the calaboose, my new best friend very loudly swore repeatedly (with exquisitely choice expletives) that he would find where I lived, kill my wife and children, and then find and kill me - SLOWLY. (Nice guy, huh)

Oh yeah, his name was Federico Gomez Carrasco.

Now you know the best part of this tale. I'm still alive and that sorry, no-good, son-of-a-bitch is taking a long and well earned dirt nap (and may he burn in hell forever and ever).