Sheriff's deputies captured a Georgia fugitive after he broke out of a hospital and used a pair of ride-hailing trips, including with Uber, during his flight, authorities said Wednesday.
Timothy Shane, 52, was caught in the 9000 block of Morris Drive in Covington after witnesses spotted him knocking on doors, the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office said.
Shane was taken from jail Sunday night to Grady Hospital in Atlanta for treatment on a "staged" suicide attempt before he escaped at about 1:20 a.m. Monday, according to the sheriff’s office.
Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett declined to elaborate on how Shane got away from the hospital.
"This is just one incident where an inmate escaped. How they may have escaped, why they escaped, is under investigation, and we’re going to determine how and why," Levett told reporters Wednesday.
Shane ran from the hospital before he “stole a SUV parked in the area,” crashed it and then took off on foot again, Levett said.
The SUV’s owner reported that a Glock handgun was stolen from the vehicle, officials said.
The sheriff’s department later learned that Shane requested that an Uber come pick him up at a “residence in south Rockdale” — by the time deputies arrived, Shane was gone, officials said.
Later during the pursuit, Shane got into another ride-hailing vehicle, Levett said. But when he was caught, he didn’t a phone, so it’s not clear how he was able to order the rides.
“We have as of yet to locate a cellphone,” Levett told reporters. “So how he was making these calls [to get rides], we don’t quite know yet.”
The suspect also stole a Pontiac Grand Prix in his flight, which was found at a Publix supermarket in Henry County on Highway 155, officials said Monday night.
