Suspect Escapes From Holding Cell

A man who was locked in a San Diego courtroom holding cell escaped Monday afternoon by squeezing through a gap between the cell’s floor and its door, San Diego County marshal’s officials said.

Juan Chavez, 21, had arrived at the downtown courthouse for a hearing stemming from rape and burglary charges when the judge conducting the hearing discovered there was a warrant for Chavez’s arrest on attempted kidnaping charges, said Lt. Sam Gonzales of the marshal’s office.

On discovering the new information, the judge ordered Chavez sent to jail and increased bail to $500,000, Gonzales said.

Chavez was then taken into custody and placed in a holding cell inside the courtroom, Gonzales said. Most court workers then left for lunch.

Authorities believe that Chavez, a small, thin man, squeezed through a gap between the bottom of the cell’s door and some steps.

The glass-walled holding cell is built on a wooden platform with a wooden door and a screen ceiling, Gonzales said. There is a 7-by-20-inch gap between the bottom of the door and a series of stairs that lead down to the floor.

Officials said Chavez is 5 feet, five inches tall and weighs 130 pounds. He has black hair and brown eyes, and is cleanshaven. When he escaped, he was wearing a white T-shirt and blue jeans, they said.

The escape occurred about 12:45 p.m., Gonzales said.

“Most people were out to lunch, and no one else was in the courtroom,” he said.