Handcuffed Man Slips Out of Cop Car, Rearrested in Martinez

BART police are investigating how a man who was handcuffed and sitting in the back of a police cruiser was able to get out of the car before being quickly recaptured this morning in Martinez, police said.

Officers responded to a report of a disturbance at BART’s El Cerrito del Norte station around 5:45 a.m., BART police Lt. Aaron Ledford said. A man was involved in a dispute with another person at the station, but the man gave false identifying information, Ledford said.

The man was taken into custody and Ledford said the officer found a concealed knife in the man’s possession. While sitting inside a police cruiser near the Martinez Detention Facility, the man, who was handcuffed, managed to get out of the vehicle, Ledford said.

He was out of custody for 15 to 20 minutes before police found him near where he escaped, according to Ledford. BART police are investigating how that happened, Ledford said.

He said that usually police cruisers don’t have inside door handles in the back seat. Ledford said officers are still trying to determine the man’s identity. No injuries were reported in the incident, he said.

--Bay City News

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