Police extend manhunt for Northern California homicide suspect who fled a hospital
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Police were still searching Monday for a runaway homicide suspect more than 24 hours after he escaped from a hospital in a Sacramento suburb.
Eric Abril, 35, escaped Placer County Sheriff’s Office custody around 3 a.m. Sunday morning from the Sutter Roseville Medical Center, the sheriff’s office said.
He was arrested in April after authorities said he shot a California Highway Patrol officer and two hostages, killing one, in a park in Roseville. The city lies about 16 miles (26 kilometers) northeast of Sacramento. Abril was charged with murder, aggravated kidnapping and attempted murder of a peace officer in connection with the shooting. He was booked in the Placer County jail without bail.
Authorities said he was taken to the hospital on Thursday, but they have not said why.
Law enforcement is investigating how Abril escaped. He was supposed to be under 24-hour surveillance at the hospital, but he managed to get away from a deputy by running down a flight of stairs and out the doors early Sunday morning.
The Placer Sheriff’s Office said the deputy guarding Abril was awake when the suspect escaped. The preliminary investigation determined that Abril “was able to defeat his restraints.”
“We have begun conducting a thorough review of all corrections policies and procedures regarding inmate transportation and inmate supervision and security,” the Placer Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
More than 70 police from roughly a dozen law enforcement agencies, including FBI agents and U.S. Marshals, searched the area throughout the day using helicopters, drones, police dogs and armored vehicles to sweep through neighborhoods in the quiet suburbs. Police have investigated 64 leads since Sunday, authorities said.
Around 12:50 a.m. Monday, the search zeroed in on an area about a mile northeast of the hospital, but law enforcement came up empty after two hours, the Sacramento Bee reported.
The sheriff’s office didn’t immediately respond to questions about the search Monday. Roseville police declined to comment.
Police asked residents in the area to “exercise extreme caution” and call 911 if they see Abril. Authorities described him as a white man, six-feet tall, with brown hair. He weighs 175 pounds and has a tattoo on his left shoulder. He was captured on video Sunday wearing no shirt and orange pants, authorities said.
The April shooting happened in a park where families played at nearby baseball fields and children attended camp. Highway patrol officers were attempting to serve Abril a warrant when he allegedly started shooting, wounding one officer.
When Roseville police arrived, Abril was seen carrying a gun and fleeing. Authorities say he then grabbed two civilians and held them hostage, shooting both and killing one. ___ This story has been updated to correct the name of the law enforcement agency to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office, not Department.
