Texas Seven Flee Prison: A Deadly Crime Spree Unfolds
Seven inmates overpowered guards, stole 16 rifles, and walked out of a Texas maximum-security prison on December 13th wearing stolen prison uniforms. They'd planned for months. The guards they left behind were bound with duct tape in an electrical room. For six weeks, the Texas Seven robbed stores across the state — until they hit an Oshman's sporting goods shop on Christmas Eve. Officer Aubrey Hawkins, working security, confronted them. They shot him 11 times, then ran him over. Hawkins was 29, married eight months. Six of the seven were captured within weeks on *America's Most Wanted*. The seventh killed himself during arrest. Four got death sentences.
December 13, 2000
26 years ago
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