A man was arrested Thursday morning after leading Arlington police on a pursuit and confessing to killing his 5-year-old son and severely injuring his 2-year-old son, officials said.
After attacking his children with a knife in the family’s apartment on South Cooper Street, the suspect assaulted a police officer at a gas station and drove away, police said.
Crime scene tape is left behind from a fatal stabbing near the 1600 block of South Cooper Street on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026 in Arlington. Heyco Cruz Linares confessed to killing his 5-year-old son and severely injuring his 2-year-old son late Wednesday evening, officials said. Abigail Dollins Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The suspect, 27-year-old Heyco Cruz Linares, pulled up next to the officer, who was parked at a gas station in the 1400 block of North Cooper Street about 11:50 p.m. Wednesday, police said at a news conference. Cruz Linares got out of his car, walked up to the officer’s driver side window and hit the window with a knife, officials said.
The officer reversed out of his parking spot to get a safe distance away from the suspect. The officer then got out of his patrol vehicle and ordered the man multiple times to drop the knife. Cruz Linares ignored the commands, got back into his car and drove toward Interstate 30, police said.
Arlington police chased the suspect and stopped him on I-30 near NW 7th Street with assistance from Grand Prairie police.
As he was being taken into custody, Cruz Linares told officers that he had just killed his kids at their apartment in the 1600 block of South Cooper Street, police said.
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Heyco Cruz Linares, 27, is accused of attacking his 5-year-old and 2-year-old sons with a knife at their Arlington, Texas apartment. The 5-year-old died and the 2-year-old was hospitalized. Arlington police
Other officers quickly responded to the crime scene at the Woodwind Apartments and found the victims, who apparently had been stabbed. The 5-year-old boy was taken to Medical City Arlington Hospital, where he died about 12:40 a.m. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office identified him as Keiler Cruz-Guerra.
The second child, a 2-year-old boy, was severely injured, police said. The toddler had wounds consistent with a knife attack and is being treated at a hospital.
“Our hearts are with them and their family this morning,” Arlington Police Chief Al Jones said at a Thursday morning news conference. “We’re working to ensure justice is served in this case.”
Cruz Linares was booked in the Arlington city jail about 1 a.m. He faces charges of capital murder of a child, evading arrest in a vehicle and terroristic threat against a peace officer. Additional charges are pending the outcome of the investigation, according to Jones.
The motive for the attacks remains under investigation, police said.
The children’s mother also lives at the apartment, but she was not home at the time of the attack, according to investigators. Police said they believe the mother was at work.
What neighbors are saying
By noon Thursday, the yellow crime scene tape had mostly been removed from around the first-floor unit at the Woodwind Apartments where the stabbing took place. Only a small piece remained tied to the staircase railing.
Arman Kamal, who lives upstairs, told the Star-Telegram that he was asleep when he heard loud noises from outside and saw a lot of police were there.
“I heard a huge scream,” he said, adding that he believed it was the woman who lived in the downstairs apartment.
Kamal remembers seeing the man and woman and their children around, but said he didn’t really know them. They moved into the apartment around three or four months ago, he said.
Another neighbor, who asked not to be identified, said the family tended to keep to themselves. He said the parents and the two children would leave the apartment early every morning, but he never had a chance to talk to them.
The neighbor told the Star-Telegram in Spanish that he’d seen the police activity outside and saw first aid being performed on the children. He said he can’t understand what was going through the father’s mind to do such a thing.
“Horrible,” he said in Spanish.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published October 1, 2026 at 8:02 AM.
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Harriet Ramos covers crime and other breaking news for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.