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Sacramento Jail Escapee: 'I Panicked And I Ran'

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) - A man who ran from police while being booked into the Sacramento County Jail is now apologizing for taking off.

"I panicked and I ran," Leonid Fedorchuk said.

Fedorchuk, 19, says he was just scared when he escaped -- sparking an all-out manhunt during rush hour Wednesday.

"I regret doing it," he said. "Not because I didn't get away, but because, I guess, I scared a lot of people and I didn't realize that."

In the process of being booked on felony warrants for vandalism and attempted burglary, Fedorchuk says he was standing in line with other inmates getting off a transport van in the jail garage.

"They didn't tell me my charges or what I was getting arrested for. So I was nervous how long I was going to stay in here," he said.

So, still handcuffed, Fedorchuk saw his chance and booked it through the opening garage door as a patrol car was pulling out. He was found just across the street in a county administration building.

Expectedly, it's a move that has got him in a lot more trouble, right? Surprisingly, it's not.

Since Fedorchuk wasn't officially an inmate, yet, he will receive the lesser charge of allegedly running from officers.

"In this case, he was simply in the custody of a peace officer under arrest," said Sacramento County sheriff's Sgt. Jason Ramos. "At that point, without crossing that threshold, it's a misdemeanor count."

Meanwhile, deputies say they won't be doing much differently.

"He saw a very small window of opportunity that doesn't present itself more often than not," said Ramos.

It's an opportunity Fedorchuk says he wouldn't recommend.

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