Yesterday, Philadelphia was the clamorous stage for a manhunt that concluded with the swift apprehension of mistakenly released inmate Jamal Burkett by the U.S. Marshals. Burkett, a 53-year-old convicted of assault on a federal officer and weapons possession, was arrested in the 7900 block of Lindbergh Boulevard.
According to the U.S. Marshal Service, Burkett was serving a 192-month federal sentence, and on May 14, a clerical error led to his premature exit from the Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. An audit on Tuesday caught the mistake, and the wheels of justice churned once more, proceeding to issue a warrant for Burkett’s capture. No sooner had the alert gone live, the Eastern Pennsylvania Violent Crimes Fugitive Task Force was hot on his trail.
It was around 7:00 a.m. this morning when task force members descended on a southwest Philadelphia apartment believed to be harboring Burkett. Law enforcement surrounded the premises, and Burkett was apprehended without fanfare or incident. He now resides in the Federal Detention Center, his fleeting taste of liberty curtailed.
The task force—a coalition including Philadelphia Police, Pennsylvania State Parole Officers, and various other law enforcement agencies—is dedicated to the capture of violent offenders, a duty to which they committed fully in Burkett's case. It was Supervisory Deputy Robert Clark who succinctly put it: "Anyone who discharges a firearm at police officers must pay for their actions," as noted by the U.S. Marshal Service. Capturing Burkett in less than 24 hours after being notified of his release is indeed laudable and a pat on the back for the hardworking men and women in blue.
