HALL COUNTY, Texas — Cellphones across Texas buzzed and lit up early Friday morning.
The Texas Department of Public Safety shortly before 5 a.m. issued a blue alert for a wanted suspect out of Memphis, Texas, a small town in Hall County in the Texas Panhandle.
Seth Altman, 33, was named as the wanted suspect, according to the alert, which is aimed at helping authorities find suspects who are accused in incidents involving a law enforcement officer.
Altman -- who is white and was described at 6 feet, 2 inches tall and 220 pounds with red hair and blue eyes -- was last seen on foot around 11 p.m. Thursday in the 200 block of South 4th Street in Memphis, about 90 miles southeast of Amarillo and 275 miles northwest of Dallas. Altman was seen heading toward U.S. 287, according to the alert.
The blue alert warned Texans to call 911 if they see him and to not approach him. A release from the Texas Department of Public Safety said officials believe Altman "to be associated with the serious injury of a law enforcement officer, involving a serious risk or threat to the public and other law enforcement personnel."
KVII in Amarillo reported that Altman is accused of shooting Memphis Police Chief Rex Plant, while Plant was trying to serve a warrant.
KVII-TV reports Plant was listed in stable condition at a hospital in Lubbock. A hospital spokesperson did not immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press.
What is a Texas blue alert? When is it used?
Blue alerts are one of several public safety alerts issued by the state when authorities need help finding someone. Most of the time, those alerts are in the form of AMBER Alerts or Silver Alerts for missing people.
Blue alerts are issued when authorities are searching for someone who is wanted for possible involvement in the killing or serious injury of a law enforcement officer.
Here's the full criteria for a Blue Alert, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety's website:
- A law enforcement officer must have been killed or seriously injured by an offender.
- The investigating law enforcement agency must determine that the offender poses a serious risk or threat to the public and other law enforcement personnel.
- A detailed description of the offender's vehicle, vehicle tag, or partial tag must be available for broadcast to the public.
- The investigating law enforcement agency of jurisdiction must recommend activation of the Blue Alert to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
According to the Texas DPS frequently asked questions about emergency alerts, statewide AMBER and Blue Alerts are supposed to only be sent between the hours of 6 a.m. and 11 p.m., to include holidays and weekends. Regional AMBER and Blue Alert hours could differ, according to the FAQ sheet.
The Associated Press contributed to this report