Escaped Miami Prisoner Faces Judge
MIAMI (CBS4) – The suspect who managed to remove a pair of plastic handcuffs off his wrists, escaped from a Miami-Dade Police vehicle and was captured hours later appeared more subdued Wednesday as he faced a bond court judge.
John Paul Garrido, 26, had originally been arrested for criminal mischief, a misdemeanor.
Now Garrido faces harsher charges of escape, which netted him a $7,500 bond. He was also held on a warrant out of Monroe County.
Garrido had been arrested in the past for battery, aggravated stalking, possession of marijuana, selling cocaine and domestic violence.
On Tuesday, Miami-Dade Police Det. Alvaro Zabaleta told CBS4's Peter D'Oench that when the female officer's car was stopped at a red light just blocks from the jail at Northwest 12th Street and 14th Avenue; Garrido somehow got out of his flex-cuffs and escaped from the back of the police car that is normally locked.
Garrido was seen fleeing westbound on Northwest 12th street dressed in black. Police immediately put out a bulletin that said they were looking for the 5'6", 140-pound man who had trimmed his beard since his last mug shot.
After a five-hour search, Garrido was found sitting quietly underneath a tree just blocks away from where he had allegedly escaped.
"For us, it's a relief to have him back in custody," said Zabaleta. "He was a danger to our community. Anyone who commits a robbery the way he did is a violent person and is a danger to the community."
Zabaleta said this incident all started around 6:30 in the morning of November 1st when Garrido was being transported from the Miami-Dade Police Kendall substation to the Dade County jail.
Garrido had been arrested for criminal mischief and Zabaleta said he was on probation for strong arm robbery.
Dozens of officers and detectives scoured the area and were assisted by Miami Police. As CBS4 discovered, they even stopped at Garrido's home nearby and sent detectives to the home of Garrido's mother.
His mother told Police she was very upset and when CBS4 tried to ask her about her son, she told a reporter, "I don't know."
Miami-Dade Police set up a command post near the Metro Justice Center.
Zabaleta said at around 2:30 in the afternoon, police received a tip that Garrido had been spotted just three blocks north of the command center at Northwest 14th Avenue and 16th Terrace.
He was sitting underneath a tree.
"Once we questioned him, we determined that he was the individual that we were looking for," said Zabaleta.
Garrido was taken to the Dade County jail. Zabaleta said he faces a number of additional charges tied to the escape.
Police say he was able to escape by removing the plastic handcuffs and reaching over a crack in the car window where he lifted the door handle and got out.
"This was an individual who was brazen and we considered him to be very dangerous," said Zabaleta.
