SAN ANTONIO — A man accused of shooting at San Antonio Police officers Thursday afternoon had his bond more than tripled Friday after Chief William McManus raised concerns about the initial amount, which he called "a slap in the face to every police officer out there."
Michael Hogan, 52, was arrested Thursday and charged with attempted capital murder of a peace officer. His initial bond was set at $150,000 by a county magistrate judge.
"I know that bond is a legal right," McManus said via video conference Friday afternoon. "But $150,000 bond is a slap in the face to every police officer out there. For someone who's trying to kill a police officer...just unacceptable to any police officer."
Immediately following the shooting, McManus said his agency was "extremely lucky" that officers weren't hit by Hogan's gunfire.
McManus said officers were called to the 2600 block of Westward Drive for a burglary, where they came under gunfire. According to McManus, one officer's patrol unit was hit four times, shattering the window and hitting the laptop.
"I don't know how she was not hit," McManus said Thursday.
Another officer at the scene returned fire, hitting Hogan. Hogan was taken to the hospital in critical but stable condition.
"He did a hero's job of neutralizing this guy who very well could have killed a police officer today," McManus said of the officer who returned fire.
McManus said he was "dumbfounded" Friday morning when he learned of Hogan's initial bond amount. He said he reached out to Administrative District Court Judge Ron Rangel to see if the bond could be amended.
"There needs to be a lot of thought given to the bond amount for somebody who commits a violent crime like that," McManus said. "And in my opinion, if you're out there and you have the gall to try to kill a police officer, I mean, it's just unacceptable. The bonds of violent crime, in my opinion, need to be considered very, very carefully before they're set."
Online records show Hogan's bond was raised to $300,000, and later raised to $500,000. Though McManus said if it were up to him, it would be no less than $1 million. He said he appreciated Rangel's decision to increase the bond and add conditions of release, including an ankle monitor.
Court documents show a prosecutor recommended the $150,000 bond amount. KENS 5 reached out to the Bexar County District Attorney's Office to ask what factors were considered when making the initial recommendation and whether they stood by the initial amount.
The district attorney's office has not yet responded as of this publication.
Court records show Hogan was out on bond on a charge of possession of a controlled substance when he was arrested Thursday.