Suspect Walks Away From Hospital
A prisoner being treated Friday at Mercy Hospital walked away from custody, apparently after a private security guard unhooked the man’s chains, sheriff’s officials said.
Richard Robledo, 34, of Cerritos, who was arrested on suspicion of felony hit-and-run driving and evading arrest, walked out of the hospital about 2:30 p.m. and was still missing Friday night.
Sgt. Roy Stamper of the Sheriff’s Department said Robledo was injured in a traffic accident after a high-speed chase. He was taken to the hospital and placed under the watch of a security guard for the Holmes Security Co.
Stamper said the private company contracts with the county to provide hospital protection. The guard apparently unchained the prisoner against regulations, and Robledo slipped away unnoticed through a door adjoining the shower, officials said.
The escapee was described as white, 5-foot-9, 170 pounds, with blond hair and hazel eyes. “He was wearing hospital garb when he left,” Stamper said.
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