In an incident that has sparked an internal review within the San Antonio Police Department, a 25-year-old man managed to briefly escape custody on Friday morning. According to KENS 5, the escape unfolded as the suspect was being transferred from the Magistrate to Bexar County Jail. Reports indicate that the man concealed himself behind a vehicle and took the opportunity to hastily exit through the sally port doors as they were opened to admit another vehicle.
The incident, which occurred in the 200 block of North Comal Street, ended when the suspect was located and detained near West Commerce and West Zarzamora streets, a short distance away. It has prompted SAPD's Internal Affairs to closely to investigate potential procedural breaches. SAPD says its internal affairs will conduct an internal investigation for any possible procedural violations, KENS 5 stated in their coverage. The man now faces a third-degree felony charge for escaping custody on top of his original charges, the nature of which has not been disclosed by the authorities.
In a separate report by KSAT, additional details emerged, noting that the escape happened at 7 a.m. and the man was taken back into custody "a couple of miles away" from the jail. The circumstances surrounding how he was able to slip away from police custody remain unclear, with SAPD yet to provide those specifics. KSAT's request for clarification on these points is still pending a response.
As the investigation into this instance unfolds, community members may be contemplating the efficacy of current police transfer protocols. SAPD Internal Affairs is positioned to critically examine if there were any missteps, with a spokesperson saying, "SAPD Internal Affairs is also conducting an investigation to determine if there were any procedural violations." This was conveyed to KSAT in the aftermath of Friday's incident. As policies and procedures come again into the spotlight, the San Antonio Police Department could to be facing significant scrutiny from both the public and internal oversight.
