SUGAR LAND, Texas – After 27-year-old Thomas Bartram was arrested in Sugar Land following a confrontation with police officers that resulted in him being shot, law enforcement officials confirmed that he was arrested and questioned years ago in El Paso, Texas.
Fort Bend County District Attorney’s Office confirmed to KPRC 2’s Corley Peel that Bartram was the same man questioned in the previous incident in El Paso, although he was never charged in that situation.
Recommended Videos
In 2019, then-21-year-old Bartram was arrested in El Paso after witnesses said he brandished a knife and made threatening comments outside of a community space for immigrants from his vehicle.
Notably, the incident happened just days after a mass shooting claimed the lives of 23 people in a Walmart store in the same area.
MORE INFO: Gunman in racist attack at a Texas Walmart pleads guilty and families confront him in court
According to an NBC News article from the 2019 incident, witnesses said Bartram made the threats while sitting in his truck, which was laden with pro-Trump banners and bumper stickers promoting the far-right conspiracy website InfoWars.
After that arrest, El Paso Police Department posted on X that Bartram was detained, questioned and released after officials determined that “no criminal offense had been committed.”
8/7/19 at approximately 7:00 p.m. Central patrol officers responded to a suspicious subject at the 900 block of Stanton near Casa Carmelita. The subject was detained, interviewed and released after it was determined that no criminal offense had been committed.
— EL PASO POLICE DEPT (@EPPOLICE) August 8, 2019
READ MORE: Armed Trump supporter detained and released at El Paso immigrant center
What happened in Sugar Land
Authorities say 27-year-old Thomas Bartram was shot by police on Tuesday after a confrontation with officers in the Greatwood area of Sugar Land.
He remains hospitalized and is receiving treatment for his injuries.
The department said once he is released from the hospital, he will be transported to the Fort Bend County Jail, where he will face multiple felony charges, including deadly conduct.
The department said Bartram’s bond has been set at $1 million.
The incident happened in the area of Greatwood Lake and Forestlake Drive.
Police responded after receiving calls from residents in the neighborhood of gunshots. Three officers responded to the scene and found a man, identified as Bartram, firing gunshots into the ground.
Sugar Land Police Chief Pete Lara said there was a confrontation between the officers and the man, and the officers ended up shooting him.
The department said the Texas Rangers are conducting an independent investigation into the officer-involved shooting.
