A handcuffed inmate managed to escape and create chaos in a Baltimore neighborhood after stealing an SUV, according to reports from the Mt. Vernon area on Friday. What began as a routine transport by Baltimore County Sheriff’s deputies turned into an alarming incident when the inmate, still handcuffed but without leg shackles, escaped from a stopped van on East Preston Street at Guilford Avenue and subsequently hijacked an SUV on Calvert Street, as reported by Fox45 News.
He was reported to have struck two cars before heading toward Harford Road with serious damage to the vehicle, as per audio obtained by Fox45 News which captured the communication from Baltimore City Sheriff’s deputies.
The inmate at the center of the search has been identified as Joshua Brown, 38, who made his escape while being transported from Central Booking in the city to the Baltimore County Detention Center, further details of his disappearance were provided by the Baltimore County Sheriff's Office, which did not disclose why he was in custody in the first place, and they are currently working to obtain an arrest warrant for Brown, anyone with knowledge of Brown's whereabouts is urged to contact 911 or call 410-307-2020 according to WBAL-TV.
Residents in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood expressed their anxiety and fear over the escape; "It's petrifying. It's a petrifying situation, you understand, because it could've been me whose car he took. I could've got hurt, people around him could have got hurt," one of them going by the name Michelle stated, as per Fox45 News while another resident voiced concerns over the unpredictable nature of the situation saying, "I mean, it's terrifying. Clearly, he's acting irrational. So, everybody is in danger, everybody's safety is put into question."
