Gone but Not Forgotten : Drunk-Driving Suspect Last Seen in Handcuffs

A man who police say failed a sobriety test nevertheless managed to roll down the rear window of a patrol car, reach out and open the door from outside, then flee on foot--all while his hands were handcuffed behind his back, Stanton police reported Monday.

They said the escape occurred when the arresting officer stepped away to take a traffic accident report. Police refused to name the officer, saying he has been with the department about one year and was embarrassed by the incident.

The escapee earlier had handed the officer a driver’s license, said Capt. Leonard Haworth.

West Court Municipal Judge Kathleen O’Leary issued a misdemeanor arrest warrant Monday for Alan A. Milla, 30, of Garden Grove, for suspicion of driving under the influence, resisting arrest and the petty theft of the officer’s handcuffs, Haworth said.

Milla was involved in a two-car collision, in which no one was hurt, at about 7 p.m. Saturday at Lampson Avenue and Beach Boulevard, police said.

The patrol officer was taking a statement from the driver of the second car and arranging for storage of Milla’s car when his prisoner slipped away.

Escape was possible because the rear window cranks had not yet been removed from the newly purchased patrol car, which was pressed into service because of a shortage of squad cars, Haworth said.

And on Monday, Haworth said, police were removing the window cranks from the inside of that car and three other new patrol cars.