Three Patients at Large After Escape From Mental Hospital

Three mentally ill patients described as dangerous remained at large Saturday after they cut their way through a window screen and were smuggled out of the Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk.

“The escape . . . had the earmarks of a carefully planned escape. It was a daring escape,” said Don Miller, executive administrator of the hospital.

The men used a hacksaw blade to saw through a metal screen on a second-story window shortly after 8 p.m. Thursday, jumped out and were last seen getting into a vehicle on the 165-acre hospital grounds, authorities said. The patients were picked by up a woman who had driven into the facility to smuggle them out, the investigators said.

Escapees Identified

The escapees were identified as William Sanders, 23, Huntington Beach, who was committed for allegedly trying to kill his mother; John Martinez, 30, La Habra, committed on suspicion of kidnaping; and Brian Cincotta, 22, Redondo Beach, committed for a burglary, authorities said. A fourth patient, Jose Martinez, 27, also escaped but apparently changed his mind and surrendered before leaving the facility.

Sanders was described as 6 foot, 4 inches tall, 183 pounds, wearing a tan jacket and pants. Martinez is 6 foot, 172 pounds, and was wearing dark corduroy pants and a black sweat shirt. Cincotta, also 6 foot, was wearing blue jeans and a white shirt.

The escape was the first from the mental health facility in at least three years.

Miller said the hospital, which is not set up to handle the criminally insane, would review its admitting procedures and look into the possibility of installing a metal detector for screening visitors.