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Prisoner dies in shootout after escaping hospital

Healthcare Security Weekly, January 7, 2008

Officials are looking at how inmates are handled when outside prison walls after an escape January 2 by a prisoner being treated at a Laurel, MD hospital-the second such escape in as many months, the Associated Press (AP) reported.

The 45-year-old prisoner escaped from Laurel Regional Hospital after he overpowered five guards and fired several shots before stealing two getaway cars, the AP reported. He was cornered hours later in a cemetery by police and killed in a shootout, according to authorities.

In November, a prisoner escaped from the same hospital after taking a state trooper's gun and firing shots. He was captured hours later following an intense search, the AP reported.

In the latest escape, the man, who was serving life in prison for kidnapping and other crimes, was taken to the hospital after complaining of chest pains. A prison guard who accompanied him to the hospital was taking a break when the prisoner overpowered the other guard assigned to him and stole his gun, the AP reported. The man then fired at his leg shackles inside the hospital and overpowered a hospital security guard who responded to the shots. He held the guard hostage as he made his way to the lobby, then fled the hospital alone.

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