A murder suspect managed to escape police custody by jumping out of a vehicle's window at a McDonald's. Leon Taylor, 22, made his getaway while being transported from Chicago to Indiana's Lake County Jail by a private contractor who decided to make a pitstop at the drive-through in the city of Gary, Fox News reported.
While parked in a line outside McDonald's, Taylor, who was wearing handcuffs, a leg restraint, and a chain around his waist, reportedly asked the driver to roll down the window so he could "spit." It was at that point that he fled out the window. The leg restraint should have prevented Taylor from escaping, but "for some reason, it didn’t work properly," said Lake County Sheriff Oscar Martinez Jr.
A manhunt involving the Lake County Sheriff’s Department, the Lake County Aviation Unit helicopter, and a K-9 unit ensued, but as of Wednesday, Taylor, who is wanted on a murder charge for homicide in East Chicago, Indiana, is still at large.
"We are looking into several promising leads as the investigation continues to develop," Martinez said.
A couple who asked not to be named told WBBM the killing for which Taylor is a suspect took place behind their home on Nov. 19.
"It happened around 11 o’clock in the morning," the woman said. "He [the victim] was shot and passed away at the hospital."
According to the outlet, Taylor has been charged several times for armed robbery since 2018. He previously tried to escape custody by removing his monitoring bracelet.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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