Texas authorities released an image of inmate Gonzalo López, saying it was taken from surveillance video as Gonzalo López was being escorted to the prison bus the morning of his escape.
(CNN) --
A convicted murderer being transported on a Texas prison bus last Thursday allegedly hacked through metal, attacked an officer and ran into nearby woods.
He has not been seen since, prompting what authorities say is one of the largest search efforts for an escaped inmate in state history.
Gonzalo López, 46, was convicted of various counts of murder and kidnapping, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.
He was added to the state's 10 Most Wanted Fugitives list, with authorities offering up to $50,000 for information leading to his capture.
This is what we know about López and his escape.
Gonzalo López was serving two life sentences
Lopez, convicted in Texas on two counts of aggravated assault in 1996, received two eight-year sentences, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety (TDCJ).
In 2006, he was convicted of murder and kidnapping and was sentenced to life in prison, the department said.
The following year, he received a second life sentence for an attempted murder conviction, according to the Department.
"He is serving life in prison for first-degree murder, in which he killed a man with a pickaxe and also received an attempted capital murder conviction for firing a gun at a police officer," said Robert Hurst, a spokesman for the Department of Justice. Texas Criminal Justice, at a press conference.
"He is someone who is very dangerous."
Lopez also had several other felonies on his record dating back to at least 1994, according to TDCJ records.
He is affiliated with the gang known as the Mexican Mafia and has ties to the Rio Grande Valley area, including Weslaco and Mercedes, and San Antonio, the TDCJ said.
Authorities are offering a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to the inmate's arrest.
How did the inmate escape?
Lopez escaped last Thursday afternoon while being transported from a facility in Gatesville to another unit in Huntsville for a medical appointment, authorities said in a statement Wednesday.
Huntsville is about 70 miles north of Houston.
"Due to his criminal history and restrictive housing status, inmate Lopez was being transported in a separate area of the bus designated for high-risk inmates," the release said.
But as he was being transported, Lopez broke free of his restraints, sliced through the metal and climbed out of the bottom of the cage, the state Department of Criminal Justice said.
He then attacked the driver, forcing the bus to stop, according to the department.
In an earlier briefing, Hurt said that Lopez "stabbed" the officer driving with "some type of object," and the officer struggled, eventually preventing Lopez from grabbing his service weapon.
The other inmates were still restrained, Hurst said.
The driver and inmate exited the bus, and a second officer, who was in the back of the vehicle, got out and began to approach Lopez, the release said.
The inmate got back on the bus and tried to drive away, but officers shot at the tires and stopped the vehicle, authorities said.
Lopez got out of the bus and ran into the woods off Highway 7 in Leon County, according to authorities.
One of the officers shot the fleeing inmate, but authorities don't know if Lopez was hit, Hurst said previously.
"The last time we saw him, he was running away through the cow pasture west of Centerville," Hurst said.
Centerville is about 90 miles from Huntsville.
One of the largest inmate search efforts in state history
On Tuesday, Hurst told reporters that authorities were getting closer to catching Lopez and hoped to have him in custody soon.
"We've gotten some information that may get us a little closer to him and hopefully get him back into our custody," he said.
Hurst said the search was "very focused" and called it "one of the largest search efforts for an escaped inmate in the history of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice."
The FBI and US Marshalls are involved in the search, which includes nearly 300 local, state and federal law enforcement officers, Hurst said previously.
Authorities are pursuing the chase on foot with dog patrols, on horseback and with the help of helicopters, authorities said, urging travelers not to pick up people on the road.
No prison clothes have been found, so authorities believe Lopez might still be with her, Hurst said, though it's still possible she changed her clothes.
There is an ongoing investigation into the escape and whether the inmate may have had help, he added.
Lopez is about 6 feet tall, weighs about 180 pounds and has tattoos on his back, chest and abdomen, authorities said.
