GARY, Ind. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Authorities released video Tuesday showing the moment a murder suspect escaped from a transport van in Gary, Indiana.
Leon Taylor, 22, allegedly escaped from a transport van at about 3 p.m. Monday in the area of 35th and Grant streets in Gary while being extradited from Texas, the Lake County sheriff’s office said in a statement.
He is wanted on a murder charge for a homicide in East Chicago, the sheriff’s office said. Taylor was arrested in Texas and was flown to Chicago. A private company was transporting him to Indiana.
The driver for REDI Transports stopped at a McDonalds drive-thru, and when Taylor asked him to roll down the window, he made a break for it.
The video shows the van stopped at the restaurant’s drive-thru when Taylor, who appears to be handcuffed, opens the back seat and flees. Moments later, the driver gets out of the car and runs after him.
“This driver initially told our officers the suspect jumped out of a window, but the video clearly shows him exiting through a door to the vehicle,” said Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. “We are looking into this matter as part of an extensive review of the case.”
According to police, Taylor managed to flee from the area of 35th Street and Grant Street in Gary, despite being locked into a belly chain with handcuffs and a leg brace.
A manhunt by Gary police and the Lake County Sheriff's Department, including its helicopter and K-9 units, was unable to locate Taylor following his escape.
Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said the search is ongoing and anyone with knowledge of Taylor's whereabouts should call 911. He said Taylor is known to frequent Hammond, East Chicago, and Gary.
Taylor is a black man, 6 feet tall and weighs 162 pounds. He has hazel eyes and brown hair, according to police. He was last seen wearing a gray hoodie, black Puma tennis shoes, black jeans and a belly chain with handcuffs, the sheriff’s office said.
He is considered to be dangerous, the sheriff’s office said.
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