3 Teenage Escapees Remain at Large

The three detainees who escaped from Central Juvenile Hall late Wednesday were still being sought Friday evening, authorities said.

Police have received several leads, but have been unable to find Jose Argueta and Marvin Sandoval, both 17, and Fernando Nupiri, 18.

On Monday, Sandoval was convicted of murder. Authorities said he killed an innocent bystander mistaken for a gang member. No other details were available. Argueta was convicted of murdering a former leader of an Armenian street gang at a Hollywood deli. Nupiri, who was awaiting sentencing on a probation violation, was convicted of a carjacking in South Gate.

Their escape is being investigated by the county Probation Department, which is trying to determine how one of the fugitives obtained a gun when even police officers have to check their weapons before entering the building.

Investigators have dismissed a theory that the gun was inside a cake delivered to one of the teenagers, said Ken Kondo, a Probation Department spokesman.

Guards at the detention center only carry handcuffs and pepper spray, said Robert Smythe of the department’s detention bureau.

The teenagers used handcuffs to restrain three employees, then locked them in a 10-by-12-foot room, authorities said. Smythe said the U.S. Border Patrol was notified once the breakout was discovered. The FBI was notified later.

The Probation Department is considering ways to prevent breakouts, including possibly adding patrols and lighting at the detention center, which is next to County-USC Medical Center, Smythe said. There are no plans to give guards guns, he said.

Anyone with information is asked to call (213) 485-2942.