VIDEO: Murder suspect escaped from custody while in McDonald's drive-thru
Video shows murder suspect escape from custody in Gary, Indiana
While in the McDonald's drive-thru, Leon Taylor requested the agent roll down a window so he could remove his protective mask and spit out the window, the sheriff said. When the agent did so, Taylor somehow opened the vehicle's door and ran away, surveillance video shows.
GARY, Ind. - Authorities Tuesday released video showing the moment a murder suspect escaped from a transport van in Gary, Indiana.
Leon Taylor, 22, made his escape about 3 p.m. Monday while the van was stopped at a McDonald’s at 35th and Grant streets in Gary, the Lake County sheriff’s office said in a statement.
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.
Taylor is wanted on a murder charge for a homicide in East Chicago and was in the process of being extradited to Lake County from Texas by an agent from REDI Transports, the sheriff’s office said.
Leon Taylor | Lake County sheriff's office
Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr. said Taylor was being transported from O’Hare International Airport at the time. The REDI agent pulled into the McDonald’s drive-thru to ensure the prisoner was fed before heading to the Lake County Jail, Martinez said.
Taylor requested the agent roll down a window so he could remove his protective mask and spit out the window, Martinez said. When the agent did so, Taylor somehow opened the vehicle's door and ran away, surveillance video shows.
“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 Martinez. “We are looking into this matter as part of an extensive review of the case.”
“I find it appalling that REDI Transports failed to use appropriate caution and may have put the public at risk,” Martinez added.
Taylor remained at large Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said.
Leon Taylor escapes from a police vehicle at a McDonald's drive thru.
He 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.
He is considered to be dangerous, the sheriff’s office said.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911.
FOX 32 News and the Associated Press contributed to this report.