2 Inmates Escape Sheriff’s Bus

The escape of two inmates from an Orange County sheriff’s bus on the way to court in Santa Ana triggered a massive manhunt Friday and an internal investigation of how the handcuffed men got away.

The two men, who had been in custody on a number of auto theft and robbery charges, had not been recaptured late Friday.

Orange County Supervisor Charles V. Smith, whose district includes Santa Ana, said he was confident that sheriff’s officials would recapture the two and solve the mystery of how they escaped.

“It’s just too early to make any judgment until we find out actually what happened,” Smith said late Friday. “The sheriffs will find out what happened and will find those guys too.”

Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Hector Rivera gave this account of the escape:

Eric Quoc Vu, 19, and Chancole Eddie Rajapasith, 20, were handcuffed together and put on a bus at the Orange County Jail on Flower Street about 7 a.m. for the half-mile ride to Orange County Superior Court. Both were being transported to the courthouse for hearings.

But when the bus arrived, the two men were not on it. Police later discovered their discarded jail jumpsuits in an alley near where a 1987 Buick was reported stolen about the same time.

At least two officers were guarding the inmates during the bus ride, and the windows of the vehicle were barred.

Investigators did not find the handcuffs or any indication of how the two men managed to remove them. They did discover grease stains on the men’s jail clothes but could not determine immediately if those were related to the escape.

Rivera said authorities Friday were putting all of their resources into finding the escaped inmates, but “it will not end there.” An investigation will be launched to find out how the escape happened, he said.

“Right now, we’re just concentrating on re-catching these individuals,” he said. “Then we’ll see to the internal investigation, to whatever went wrong. The entire situation will be looked at critically.”

He would not say how many inmates were on the bus at the time of the escape or what steps police were taking to recapture the two men.

Santa Ana Police Chief Paul M. Walters said the escapees may have had outside help: “Usually, somebody else is involved.”

He said the men may have stained their clothes while hiding underneath a car after the escape or may have applied the oil to their jumpsuits to ease their way out of the bus.

The stolen burgundy Buick Regal may have been commandeered as a getaway car and may have had the key in the ignition, he said.

At least 16 inmates have escaped from authorities in Orange County in the last three years. Most of them fled the minimum security James A. Musick Branch Jail in Irvine and were quickly apprehended. Arturo Garcia and Pedro Jacobo, both in custody for robbery, used bolt cutters to escape from the Theo Lacy Branch Jail last August. Neither has been recaptured.

Authorities gave these descriptions of the two escaped men:

Vu, who was in custody on charges of auto theft and receiving stolen property, is Asian, 5 feet, 7 inches tall, 120 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.

Rajapasith, who was being held on charges of auto theft and robbery, is Asian, 5 feet, 4 inches tall, 125 pounds, with brown eyes and black hair.

Authorities do not believe the men are armed but added that they could still be dangerous.

“Anybody that is fleeing should be considered dangerous, and caution should be used,” Rivera said. He advised anyone who sees men fitting the escapees’ descriptions not to approach them but to call Orange County sheriff’s investigators at (714) 647-7073 or (714) 628-7170.