[kellyhound]

The man charged with shooting three Houston police officers used guns with homemade parts, and he was already on police radar before Thursday's shootout, according to sources and court documents.

Houston police responded to a family disturbance call in the 1500 block of Tralle Street around 2:42 p.m.

When Caballero spotted officers he took off in a vehicle and led officers on a chase before crashing in the 2100 block of McGowen Street.

As the officers exited their vehicles, Cabellero immediately started firing shots, striking three of them. The officers also returned fire, but it was not immediately clear if Caballero was hit during the exchange of gunfire.

Once Caballero was able to get out of the vehicle, he carjacked a white Mercedes Benz at gunpoint and led officers on another pursuit to a home located in the 1800 block of Lockwood.

The woman who was driving the white Mercedes Benz was said to be shaken up, but OK.

The suspect then barricaded himself inside of the home on Lockwood and continued to fire multiple shots at officers.

After an hours-long standoff at the home in the 1800 block of Lockwood, Caballero surrendered with his hands up.

Roland Caballero, 31, has been charged with three counts of attempted capital murder. He is accused of shooting three Houston police officers.

Officers N. Gadson and D. Hayden are recovering at home. Friday night, Officer A. Alvarez remained hospitalized and is stable, according to HPD.

Caballero is also still in the hospital, but under arrest. He has a gunshot wound to the back of his neck.

According to court records, Caballero was already under investigation. A witness told police prior to the shootout that he was producing gun components called "switches" that turn semi-automatic pistols into fully automatic ones, court records say, and when SWAT officers heard his name over police radios, they knew exactly where to go to find him. In fact, they had been there before.

Houston police recovered one gun, which had been modified to produce rapid fire, from the car that he was driving. They recovered a second gun he was carrying as he ran away from the scene at McGowen and Hutchins. A neighbor's cell phone captured it on camera. Police believe both potentially had parts that were created on a 3D printer.

"They call it a 'ghost gun.' The untraceable gun, because it doesn't have a serial number. It was made at home," explained James Hillin, the owner of Full Armor Firearms and Gun Range on the Katy Freeway.

Hillin sells and manufactures guns legally. He also has 3D printers but alleged criminals want them for different reasons.

"If he can 3D print this stuff, he can sell it and he can sell it to a lot of people for a lot of money because of the allure of the 'ghost gun,'" said Hillin.

According to court records, Caballero was already being investigated.

Friday morning, Houston firefighters sawed open a safe so that investigators could collect what was inside.

Caballero could face more charges. When he is well enough, he will be transferred to the Harris County jail and will face a judge.

[gringo1965]

What's crazy , is people think the story is over ,, but that's very far from true .. when his case fades away ,, years on ,, this dude is in for some very hard time ,, it's endless .. solitary .. feces laced food . which is torture .. A dude I grew up with in Miami .. Mario Gonzalez . did 19 1'2 years federal . 4 1/2 in the hole .. He was very connected .. a true bad - ass // you know , how some guys , not many , seem to be born with the strength of 3 men ?? It's true .. Even the secret service hunts for guys like this . I was once told , by a retired federal agent , ( from the 1960's ,, a school freind of my dads in Coral Gables ) .. he said there was this one guy ,, about 6 foot 6 inches tall .. a build like that usually is cumbersome and not quick . But he told me about a fed that was a power house . he could do the 40 yard dash in just under 4 seconds .. and other things . very rare . but when mario got short ( time wise ) they put something in his food , and he almost died . The feds don't play . The guy above ,, he should have killed himself .

[houseoftechno]

They were in a firefight, so no judgments, but if the last cop had dropped back and taken the vehicle instead of foot chase, the chase might have ended a lot faster.