A man suspected of carrying out a spectacular rampage in Texas has been confirmed dead after marksmen shot him following an attack on the Dallas police headquarters.

The suspect had allegedly planted bombs and sprayed the headquarters and police cars with gunfire during the night assault. Police have ruled out any connection to terrorism.

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It began around 12.30am when a man in an armoured van rammed into police cars at the headquarters and opened fire, apparently using an assault rifle and a shotgun.

Shots rang out from several directions, leading police initially to believe multiple gunmen were involved before establishing the attacker acted alone.

“We’re blessed that our officers survived this ordeal,” Dallas Police Chief David Brown said.

“There are bullet holes in squad cars where officers were sitting. There are bullet holes in the front lobby where staff was sitting.”

The suspect “meant to kill officers,” Brown added.

Shortly after, police chased the van to the nearby suburb of Hutchins where officers surrounded the vehicle and more shots were traded. Several bullets hit police cars but, again, no officers were injured.

Officers tried to negotiate with the suspect, who gave his name as James Boulware, though police were not immediately able to confirm his identity.

Brown said there was no connection to terrorism and that the incident stemmed from an issue surrounding custody of the suspect’s child.

“He doesn’t show to be in our databases on any terrorism watchlist or anything like that,” Brown said.

A man claiming to be the suspect’s father, Jimmy Lee Boulware, said his son felt “beaten down” by police and Child Protective Services over a custody battle with his son.

The elder Boulware, 73, also told CBS affiliate KTVT that James struggled to find and keep a good paying job due to his past criminal record.

The Dallas Police Association tweeted that the suspect had “three family violence cases against him. (He) was very disgruntled against law enforcement and the criminal justice system.”

At 4.40am police sent in an explosives robot to examine a bag found at the police headquarters. The bag blew up as the robot tried to move it, damaging several cars.

Brown earlier said other pipe bombs had been found in one of four duffle bags that were “dispersed throughout the front and side of police headquarters.”

Around the same time, following attempts to negotiate with the suspect, snipers used a powerful .50-calibre rifle to disable the van’s engine block, then they shot the suspect about half an hour later.

Officers from the Dallas Police Department’s specialised SWAT unit fired through the front windshield of the armoured van, Brown said.

Police sent in a bomb disposal robot to examine the vehicle and determine whether the suspect was dead.

“We can now confirm that the susp in the van is deceased but unable to confirm ID pending Med Ex. identification,” the Dallas Police Department tweeted, using an abbreviation for medical examiner, or coroner.