How Did 5 Suspects Escape California Highway Patrol Custody?

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — CBS13 is taking a closer look at a troubling trend involving suspects escaping California Highway Patrol custody.

Over the last 10 months, there have been five incidents of someone in custody escaping, and in two of those cases the suspects fled in the officer's car.

Confusion quickly turned to panic as dispatchers with the Citrus Heights Police Department assist the CHP in finding 22-year-old Preston Peck-Canela. He managed to escape police custody in October after leading officers on a high-speed chase through Sacramento.

CHP OFFICER: My partners are both trying to make that determination. He's going to be a white male, 5'4, 133, brown over blue, in a grey sweatshirt and jeans.

CHPD: You don't think he went North over Auburn and underneath the tunnels do you?

CHP: We're trying to figure that out over here. There was about a 5-10 minute delay of when they realized he was gone, so.

"These are not the first incidents of this nature," said John McGinniss, former Sacramento County sheriff. "The Highway Patrol is not the first law enforcement agency to have this kind of an issue develop, and regrettably it won't be the last."

He says departments typically review protocol immediately after an escape.

"I can guarantee you that the organization is looking at these cases to see how business can be done differently. But it's also important to put it into context. And for a law enforcement agency that makes about 200-thousand arrests a year, to have 4 or 5 escape custody," he said.

Over the last 10 months, CBS13 has tracked four more incidents involving the highway patrol.

• August: Nicholas Priest escapes while in handcuffs as he was being moved from one patrol car to another. He was originally arrested after a car chase.
• July: Charles Ames bolted after assaulting an officer while in the back of a patrol car, then ran across Highway 50. After a few hours, he was taken back into custody.
• March: Robert Gangl turned a CHP patrol car into his getaway car. At the time, investigators said the 155-pound suspsect somehow got out of his restraints in the backseat, squeezed into the driver's seat and took off. His three-mile joyride came to an end in Carmichael. He was later arrested trying to hide inside someone's home.
• December: A reckless driving suspect stole a market highway patrol unit and led investiagors on a chase from Davis to Midtown before being captures.

"Suspects escaping patrol cars did not just happen for the first time 10 months ago. It's a real thing. It happens occasionally," McGinness said. "The two most dangerous encounters an officer has statistically is responding to a domestic violence call and effectuating an arrest. Because those are two things that spark an emotional response."

Those responses, he argues, correlate with a growing theme of frustration with law enforcement across the country.

"I think that's had an impact on some areas of law enforcement and public policy and human behavior and unfortunately, that's probably going to go on for a while," he said.

So how does that play out in the field? He thinks because there have been so many high-profile cases questioning excessive force, some officers could be adjusting interpersonal tactics when dealing with suspects, which in turn can lead to even more problems.

"There are pleas for officers to not handcuff them, to not restrain them, to not put them in a caged car," he said. "It's still incumbent to remember the human factor across the board. To understand what the suspect is dealing with. What the law enforcement officers are dealing with and try to match training to the needs of the best safety purposes of the community."

The CHP refused to speak on camera, instead offering the following statement.

CHP is critically evaluating its policies, procedures, training and their daily applications. We remain focused on providing the highest level of safety, service and security to our communities statewide, and we deeply appreciate their continued trust and support.

"I have no doubt that an exhaustive review will be undertaken to see what the influencing factors are here and I think the appropriate actions will be taken to minimize the likelihood of it happening again," McGinness said.