Jail Escapee Kills Himself

A jail inmate facing a “third strike” trial for burglary grabbed a sheriff’s deputy’s gun during a struggle early Friday before shooting at the officer and leading police on a high-speed chase through Anaheim that ended when he fatally shot himself, police said.

The inmate, Jake Glenn Bricks, 30, of Garden Grove, had earlier complained of pain after falling out of his bunk at the Theo Lacy Branch Jail in Orange, prompting the deputy to take him to Western Medical Center-Anaheim about 1 a.m.

After being treated, Bricks allegedly assaulted the unnamed deputy, according to Sheriff’s Department spokesman Jim Amormino. During the struggle, the inmate, whose feet were shackled but hands were free, wrestled the gun from the deputy and fired at him. He also pointed the gun at a passing nurse, Amormino said.

When the deputy took cover in the hospital’s emergency room, the inmate jumped into a medical courier car and fled, officials said.

As Anaheim officers chased the man down Lincoln Avenue, they saw the muzzle flash from a gunshot inside the car, said Anaheim police Sgt. Joe Vargas. The car then swerved south across Lincoln, striking a parked car before stopping in a vacant lot, he said.

Officers yelled to the suspect but there was no response from the car; they found Bricks dead with a gunshot wound to his head. The chase ran for about 1 1/2 miles.

“It could have ended much worse,” Vargas said. “He could have shot it out with the officers or injured someone else.”

The Anaheim Police Department, Sheriff’s Department and district attorney’s office are investigating the incident.

Amormino said the inmate’s hands were free because he had complained of dizziness, and the deputy feared he would faint and fall on his face if his hands were cuffed. Under Sheriff’s Department policy, it is up to the deputy to determine whether both hands and feed are shackled, he added.

Western Medical Center-Anaheim is used by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for inmates who need medical attention.

Vargas said escape attempts have occurred before at the hospital, usually when an inmate is transferred from the emergency room to the patrol car.

“There have been escapes over the last years,” Vargas said. “In most cases the suspects are quickly apprehended.”

Bricks had a history of legal troubles, according to court documents. In 1997, he was convicted on burglary and drug charges and sentenced to prison and narcotics treatment.

Last November, Bricks was charged with his third burglary as well as possession of a stolen 9 millimeter pistol, a parole violation. A trial was scheduled for June. If convicted, he faced the possibility of life in prison.

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Pursuit Ends in Death

A jail inmate receiving medical treatment at an Anaheim hospital escaped and led police on a pursuit before fatally shooting himself early Friday.

Source: Sgt. Joe Vargas, Anaheim Police Dept.