‘Dangerous’ murder suspect escaped after guard stopped at McDonald’s
Leon Taylor managed to escape through the window of a vehicle despite wearing handcuffs, a belly restraint and a leg brace
A ‘dangerous’ murder suspect is on the run after a guard who were transporting him stopped at a McDonald’s and he escaped from custody. Leon Taylor, 22, fled the drive-thru in Gary, Indiana, at 3pm on Monday while being extradited from Texas.
Taylor managed to escape through the window of the vehicle he was being transported in, despite being restrained with belly chains, handcuffs and a leg brace at the time. Crystal Cook, whose firm REDI Transports was hired to extradite Taylor, said she was unsure if her driver ran after him.
It is unclear why the driver had stopped at the fast food restaurant. Taylor was being moved from the Lone Star State to East Chicago to face the murder charge, whose details have not been shared. He was wearing a gray hoodie, black Puma sneakers, black jeans and restraints when he fled.
REDI, which is based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, describes itself as ‘the leading provider of prisoner transport services throughout the Midwest,’ and boasts of its’exemplary safety record’ on its website.
Taylor’s extradition was organized by the courts service, with Lake County – where he was headed – only dealing with extraditions within a 250 mile radius.
DoorDash driver Nova Carmichael witnessed the aftermath of Taylor’s escape. She told CBS Chicago: ‘I just seen a huge commotion – police everywhere.
‘They had three or four helicopters in the sky, they had tanks rolling down – so they were really trying to catch this guy.’
Taylor escaped close to his hometown of Hammond, with investigators believing someone may be helping to conceal him.
The area is also filled with abandoned buildings, giving him an ample supply of hiding places.
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