Blue alert rocks Halle County in Texas as cops hunt dangerous fugitive Seth Altman
Residents of Halle County, Texas, were woken up in the middle of the night to a blue alarm as police hunted for a dangerous fugitive.
Seth Altman, 33, is wanted for allegedly shooting Memphis Police Chief Rex Plant as he and another officer tried to arrest him for attempted burglary in Memphis around 11 p.m. Thursday, according to News 4 San Antonio.
A blue alert is a text message alert from authorities to residents indicating that someone is on the loose who may be involved in killing or seriously injuring a police officer. Local residents are asked not to approach the suspect and instead call 112.
The alert was issued early Friday morning and Altman was last seen in Memphis, Texas, around 11 p.m.
According to News 4, Plant was on his way to the back door when Altman came out and shot him multiple times.
Seth Altman, 33, (pictured) is wanted for allegedly shooting Memphis Police Chief Rex Plant as he and another officer tried to arrest him for attempted burglary Thursday around 11 p.m. in Memphis. Texas residents received a blue alert around 5 a.m.
Plant (pictured) was reportedly heading for the back door when Altman came out and shot him multiple times. Plant was flown to a hospital in Lubbock and is said to be in stable condition
Plant was flown to a hospital in Lubbock and was reported to be in stable condition, according to the local newspaper.
Police say Altman is armed and dangerous News 4 San Antonio.
He is described as 6 feet tall and weighing 220 pounds, with blue eyes and auburn hair, wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans.
The Blue Alert program was created in 2008 to quickly arrest dangerous suspects USA today.
To issue an alert, an officer must have been killed or seriously injured, authorities must believe the suspect poses a serious risk to the public, and a description of the suspect’s vehicle must be available.
Despite the fact that blue alerts – like others such as amber – are intended to keep the public safe and informed, many residents were outraged when they were woken up.
A blue alert is a text message alert from authorities to residents indicating that someone is on the loose who may be involved in killing or seriously injuring a police officer. Local residents are asked not to approach the suspect and instead call 112
‘Why the entire state of Texas needs to be warned… still don’t know this,’ one X user wrote.
‘Completely unacceptable to sound warnings at this hour. You have no right to blast intrusive sirens on our private phones while we sleep. Who approved this?’ another complained.
“Waking the entire state before 5 a.m. for something that happened at 11 a.m. last night is a surefire way to get everyone to turn off their government alerts,” a spokesperson said. third frayed.
“Why was I called out of my dreams for this when this was happening eight hours away from me and my phone was on Do Not Disturb,” a fourth complained.
Altman had not been arrested as of Friday morning.