24-year-old Isaac Rivera, considered armed and dangerous, has been captured after escaping police custody during a medical procedure at UMass Marlborough Hospital. According to NBC Boston, Rivera was arrested and returned to police custody on Sunday evening.
It remains unclear how exactly Rivera managed to escape during his medical procedure or when exactly it happened, but the timely update came hours after the police announced on Sunday that they were searching for Rivera. At the time of escape, he was wearing a hospital gown and yellow socks. Rivera was in police custody on several charges, including domestic assault and battery, strangulation, assault and battery on a police officer, and illegal possession of a firearm. As Telegram.com reported, he was captured in Milford by members of its Special Operations Division there.
Rivera had been connected to multiple Massachusetts communities like Ashland, Lowell, Natick, and Milford where he was eventually found. According to Milford Police Officer Kevin O'Loughlin, "He had a couple communities that he may have been associated with, Milford being one of them." The arrest was made possible thanks to the joint efforts of Milford and Marlborough police departments, which quickly formulated their search plan.
Officer O'Loughlin informed that their search for Rivera began around 4 p.m., starting with investigating a few addresses. They finally reached a residence on West Fountain Street, believed to be Rivera's girlfriend's house. With permission granted to enter the home, officers found Rivera in a rear bedroom. Law enforcement ordered Rivera to come out using the K9 unit. Fortunately for everyone involved, he complied with every command,
Officer O'Loughlin expressed his relief on Rivera's successful apprehension, stating, "It's good, it's a person that was considered armed and dangerous, a person that's a threat to the community. We were able to take them back into custody in a safe manner, so that's the most important thing." He further added, "No one was hurt and he's back in custody where he should be."
CBS News reported that Rivera was transported to Milford before being released back to Marlborough. It is still unknown with what medical procedure Rivera was undergoing or how precisely he managed to escape the hospital. Furthermore, Milford police are currently trying to piece together how Rivera got to his girlfriend's house, who won't be facing any charges. The possibility of additional charges from the Marlborough police remains uncertain.
