Murder suspect escapes from prisoner van in Gary, Indiana

Authorities in northwest Indiana are searching for a murder suspect who escaped from a prisoner van Monday in Gary, Indiana.

GARY, Indiana - Authorities in northwest Indiana are searching for a murder suspect who escaped from a prisoner van Monday in Gary, Indiana.

Leon Taylor, 22, allegedly escaped from a transport van about 3 p.m. 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. He is known to visit Gary, East Chicago and Hammond.

Taylor is 6 feet tall, 162 pounds with hazel eyes and brown hair. 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.