A masked driver in a blue sedan was detained by Dallas police outside the Marriott Dallas Uptown yesterday, just as the hotel was gearing up for Attorney General Ken Paxton’s election-night watch party. Eyewitnesses and footage circulating online showed officers searching the sedan in front of the hotel and later removing magazines that appeared to be ammunition from the vehicle. The stop drew a crowd of onlookers and briefly slowed arrivals for the event.
Campaign staff members said they saw the man enter the hotel and ask to use a restroom, and that he told them he was an Uber driver, a claim they doubted because the car he was driving appeared to have no license plates, according to The New York Times. Observers described the man as wearing a camouflage face mask, sunglasses, a hat and gloves.
Police response and vehicle search
Officers removed a license plate from inside the car and recovered magazines of ammunition from the vehicle, according to eyewitness posts and reporting by the Houston Chronicle. Dallas police declined to say why the man was being detained and did not immediately confirm whether he had been armed when he approached the lobby. The sedan was later towed from the scene while officers continued their inquiry.
At the watch party
Doors for the event were scheduled to open at 6 p.m., and Paxton was set to address supporters later in the evening, per the event listing on Eventbrite. Organizers and campaign staff said the program went ahead after the brief police action while investigators worked the scene outside.
Why it matters
The stop came on a high-stakes primary night in Texas, when Paxton and other candidates were drawing heavy media attention and crowded watch parties across Dallas, a dynamic that can raise security concerns, the Houston Chronicle noted. Authorities have not released information about charges or whether prosecutors will pursue matters related to the vehicle search.
