2 Inmates Escape Palo Alto Courthouse: Sheriff

PALO ALTO, CA — UPDATED, 6:30 p.m. Nov. 6: Two Santa Clara County inmates apparently escaped from sheriff's correctional custody Monday morning at the Palo Alto courthouse in what sheriff's officials are calling a " well-orchestrated, brazen" event. Sheriff's officials first reported the escape on Twitter at 10:35 a.m., and asked the public to be on the lookout for the two escapees. The inmates on the loose were identified as Tramel McClough and John Bivins.

Both are black adult males. McClough is 46 years old, 6 feet 4 inches tall and weighs 285 pounds. Bivins is 47 years old, 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds and has a distinctive "EPA" tattoo on his stomach.

The two escapees should be considered dangerous, sheriff's officials said. Anyone who sees either of the men is urged not to approach nor try to apprehend them; instead, immediately call 911.

In a subsequent Twitter post at 11:15 a.m., sheriff's officials said the escape appeared to be planned, with "getaway vehicle(s)." Officials said there was "no danger in [the] immediate area" of the Palo Alto courthouse, which is located at 240 Grant. Ave., not far from Oregon Expressway and state Highway 82.

In a news release early Monday evening, Santa Clara County sheriff's Sgt. Richard Glennon said the escape happened at about 9:30 a.m. as a sheriff's deputy was escorting inmates through a public hall adjacent to an elevator.

McClough and Bivins ran toward an emergency exit door to a waiting getaway vehicle, in which they allegedly fled the scene, Glennon said.

Sheriff's deputies and Palo Alto police officers "immediately flooded" the area in an attempt to capture the escaped inmates, the sergeant said.

Investigators soon located discarded restraints and a handcuff key, Glennon said.

The duo — jailed in connection with a robbery earlier this year at a Verizon store in Sunnyvale — each had a court appearance scheduled for Monday at the Palo Alto courthouse and had "cars and people waiting for them to get out," said sheriff's Sgt. Reggie Cooks.

Numerous law enforcement agencies are assisting in a large-scale search for McClough and Bivins and will continue to do so 24/7 until the pair is apprehended, according to sheriff's officials.

According to the Santa Clara County Department of Corrections Inmate Locator, both men were being held at the Elmwood Correctional Facility without bail.

Both men were arrested in February on suspicion of stealing $64,400 worth of cellphones and other merchandise from a Verizon store in Sunnyvale, police said earlier this year.

According to police, the two men were wearing masks when they allegedly forced the store's employees to open the store's safe and then tied them up and locked them in a bathroom, police said. One was armed with a handgun and the other with a knife.

The suspects ransacked the store, reportedly taking dozens of cellphones and other merchandise before fleeing in a vehicle. The employees were not injured, police said.

Police found the suspect vehicle about 3 miles away, at Corte Madera Avenue and Costa Mesa Terrace. The vehicle sped off, starting a short pursuit involving the Santa Clara County sheriff's air unit, patrol personnel
and Mountain View police.

The vehicle eventually stopped in the parking lot of an apartment complex, at which time the driver fled on foot before being captured, police said. The passenger started to flee before a police officer deployed a conductive energy device and apprehended him. He was treated at a hospital and arrested.

Police found all of the stolen property and the handgun allegedly used in the robbery in the suspect vehicle. The gun had been reported stolen out of Nevada, police said.

Investigators are working to determine whether these suspects are responsible for other armed robberies in the Bay Area.

Watch Now: Two Inmates Escape Palo Alto Courthouse

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.

Images via Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office