Dallas ? A gunman in an armored van was shot dead by a police sniper Saturday after an overnight attack on Dallas police headquarters that forced officers to dodge bullets and nearly trip over pipe bombs left in the parking lot.

Bullet holes pierce the side of the Dallas Police Headquarters after a gunman opened fire on the building Saturday, June 13, 2015, in Dallas. A man suspected of spraying the headquarters with gunfire and planting pipe bombs, early on Saturday, has been found dead in a van after a police sniper shot him, police Chief David Brown said.

The assailant shot through the front glass doors of the headquarters building and sprayed squad cars with an assault rifle during the attack, officials said. He then got into an hours-long standoff with officers that ended early Saturday when a police officer armed with a .50-caliber rifle shot through the windshield of the gunman’s van, from which two pipe bombs were later recovered. No officers or bystanders were injured in the attack.

Bullets pierced the doors of the Police Department, but struck only furniture. Police said they found two explosive devices near the headquarters building, cleared them away, and then evacuated a nearby housing complex.

Before he was shot, the man claimed in a phone call during a police chase that the van he was driving was full of explosives, Police Chief David Brown said. The vehicle appeared to be outfitted with gun ports on the sides.

After firing into the van, police used an “explosive water charge” to neutralize the bombs inside the vehicle by rendering the gunpowder inert, Brown said.

Bullet holes pierce the side of the Dallas Police headquarters after a gunman opened fire Saturday, June 13, 2015, in Dallas. A man suspected of spraying the headquarters with gunfire and planting pipe bombs, early on Saturday, has been found dead in a van after a police sniper shot him, police Chief David Brown said.

He said investigators believed the man acted alone, even though early witness reports suggested there could have been other attackers. Brown said the assailant apparently moved quickly during the attack, which may have given the impression that others were involved.

“We’re very fortunate,” Deputy Chief Gilberto Garza said. “We’re thankful that no one got injured.”

Reviewing the shooting damage, Maj. Jeff Cotner pointed out a police cruiser with bullet holes through the seat belt on its driver’s side, the front seat and the rear passenger window.

Though the shots cut a path through the center of the cruiser, neither officer inside was hit.

According to Brown, the shootout began about 12:30 a.m., when the assailant parked in front of the department’s headquarters south of downtown and began firing. An attacker in the dark-colored van, which witnesses described as armored, rammed a police cruiser and drove off.

Officers followed the van to a Jack in the Box parking lot in Hutchins, a Dallas suburb, where a SWAT team surrounded it, Brown said. The man inside identified himself as James Boulware, who said he blamed police for losing custody of his son and “accusing him of being a terrorist,” Brown said.

At a news conference later, Brown said authorities were working to confirm the identity of the attacker, saying the man could have been lying about his name.

Later Saturday near Dallas police headquarters, Ruben Watley, 48, a Navy veteran, said he was walking in the early morning hours to a light-rail station and heard what sounded like semiautomatic gunfire — about a hundred rounds in 15 minutes.

“I heard a car screech, and then the cops didn’t get a chance to get in front of him,” said Watley. “That’s what led to the chase.”

Nearby residents Ladarrick Alexander and his fiancee, Laquita Davis, said they were driving to their apartment when they heard 15 to 20 gunshots in quick succession.

Seconds later, police could be seen swarming an unmarked van that appeared to have crashed into a police car, they said.

The couple turned around and parked outside the police perimeter about two blocks away, where they heard the sound of one detonation about 4:30 a.m. and saw smoke rising.

Police headquarters is in a former warehouse district where a boutique hotel and several new apartment buildings have been opened.

The shooting was similar to one in Austin Nov. 28, in which a gunman fired at least 100 rounds at government buildings, including police headquarters before a police officer shot and killed him. The shooter, Larry McQuilliams, 49, had multiple weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.