Prisoner Bolts From Bus Taking Him to Court

A handcuffed prisoner bolted off a bus taking him to court Tuesday morning, slipped out a gate as it was closing and escaped from a county detention facility in Castaic, sheriff’s deputies said.

Lorenzo Lorta, 36, of Bell Gardens was being held at the Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho North Facility in lieu of $500,000 bail on burglary charges, Deputy Larry Mead said. Lorta was one of several prisoners who were being taken by bus to the County Courthouse in downtown Los Angeles at 5:25 a.m.

Lorta complained that the handcuffs, which were attached to a chain around his waist, were too tight. When a deputy opened a security door on the bus to check the handcuffs, Lorta bolted off the bus and out an electronically controlled gate that was closing. He escaped into the surrounding hilly area, Mead said. A team of 30 to 40 deputies and a sheriff’s helicopter searched for Lorta throughout the day.