PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A five-day manhunt for the 17-year-old fugitive who escaped police custody at CHOP around noon on Wednesday has come to an end. Shane Pryor was apprehended by law enforcement in North Philadelphia on Sunday evening and is now facing charges.
In a press conference, Robert Clark, the supervisory deputy for the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force, gave a detailed timeline of how they tracked Pryor, with help from civilians.
He said Pryor was spotted numerous times, including on video at a corner store and a Target. A Target employee called the tip in, which Clark said was crucial to the investigation.
Police later received "credible information" that Pryor was going to be near his home on Sunday evening, and canvassed the area.
"As we were canvassing the area, we spread out about 30 to 40 officers that were in unmarked vehicles. At around 6:30 p.m., one of those officers observed Shane Pryor at Ninth [Street] and [Roosevelt] Boulevard," Clark said.
"By the time we were able to move our resources over to Ninth and the Boulevard, Shane Pryor had boarded a SEPTA bus and headed north on the Boulevard."
On Wednesday, Pryor slipped out of police custody while at CHOP around noon, where he was being evaluated for a hand injury.
When he was taken into custody, Pryor had on him a tool that is used to unlock handcuffs, though no further information was given as to how he got the tool, or how long he had it in his possession.
"He was desperate," Clark siad. "We had cut his resources off, we had forced him to go places, probably because we had cut all those resources off and I don’t think he had a choice."
"When he was in the Target, he actually was buying a pair of pants," Clark added. "So he left the pants on when he was checking out and scanned the tag as he was going out. So that’s how desperate he was."
Police said Pryor escaped with help from 18-year-old Michael Diggs.
Pryor was seen on surveillance video in one of the hospital's lobbies asking an employee at the desk if he could use a phone. He was denied and left. He moved on, and someone eventually let him borrow a phone. He allegedly called Diggs for a ride.
Diggs was charged with hindering apprehension, escape, use of a communication facility, and criminal conspiracy.
Pryor had been in police custody since he was 14, awaiting trial for an alleged murder in 2020.
Pryor is charged with aggravated assault, hindering apprehension, escape, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person.
He is also facing charges for assaulting a teacher inside the Juvenile Justice Center earlier this month, on Jan. 9.
For that, he is charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, simple assault, and recklessly endangering another person. Police say the complaining witness in this incident did not report it until after Pryor escaped, citing alleged threats that made her fearful for her safety.
When the city’s Department of Human Services was asked about the teacher being assaulted, they said, “since this is an ongoing investigation, we cannot comment on the matter.”