Lubbock Man Charged With Threatening to Kill Ex-Wife

A Lubbock man who threatened to kill his ex-wife has been federally charged, announced U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham.

Gene Garcia Solis, 48, was charged last Friday via criminal complaint with interstate threatening communications. He had his initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge D. Gordon Bryant, Jr. on Monday, Dec. 6, at which point the case against him was unsealed.

According to court documents, a Lubbock Police Officer contacted Mr. Solis on Nov. 24, 2021 to check on his welfare. Mr. Solis was distraught and allegedly told the officer he planned to kill his ex-wife and anyone who tried to stop him and then commit suicide.

Fearing for his ex-wife’s safety, officers set up surveillance at her residence.

At around 10:30 p.m., Mr. Solis allegedly drove by the residence. When officers attempted to stop his car, he fled. Nearly three hours later, law enforcement spotted the defendant in Hale Center, Texas, and once again attempted to stop his car. He attempted to flee, but hit a spike strip and crashed in the parking lot of a Texas National Guard Armory.

Mr. Solis exited the vehicle, fired several rounds from an AR 15-style rifle, and ran inside the Armory.

“Mr. Solis's actions endangered the life of his ex-wife, the law enforcement officers who responded to multiple scenes and the public at-large,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge Matthew DeSarno. “Together with our law enforcement partners, the FBI’s priority is to protect and keep the communities we serve safe from harm.”

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation of criminal conduct, not evidence. Like all defendants, Mr. Solis is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, Lubbock Resident Agency and the Lubbock Police Department conducted the investigation with the assistance of the Hale County Sheriff’s Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeff Haag and Callie Woolam are prosecuting the case.