Officials captured a prisoner who they say escaped from police custody in Media, Pennsylvania, on Thursday.
The ordeal began around 8:30 a.m., when 22-year-old Taqwa Wilson was being transported from the George W. Hill Correctional Facility to the Delaware County Courthouse on 201 West Front Street.
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WATCH HEREAccording to the criminal complaint, Wilson had been arrested by Tinicum Township Police back on June 29, 2022, for allegedly receiving stolen property. He was set to appear before a judge at the Delaware County Courthouse on Thursday for a status hearing for a jury trial. A Writ ordered his release to the Delaware County Sheriff's Office for the court appearance.
"He was brought in for a court hearing," Delaware County Sheriff Jerry Sanders, Jr. said. "He has an extended, lengthy criminal record."
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SIGN UP Online court records show Wilson also had charges for other offenses, including fleeing or attempting to elude an officer, criminal mischief and driving without a license.
Wilson was one of several prisoners who were being transferred from the facility to the courthouse Thursday morning. Wilson then walked away from the other prisoners who were in between transport vans, according to the criminal complaint. He then fled the garage of the building through the exit door while a Deputy Sergeant chased after him, investigators said.
Residents in the area were asked to shelter-in-place as Nether Providence Police and other law enforcement agencies searched for Wilson.
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After about two hours, around 10:45 a.m., Wilson was found by a Pennsylvania State Trooper and assisting deputies on Broomall Street between West 3rd and West 4th streets in Media, about a block away from the courthouse, officials said.
The Delaware County Courthouse remained open during the search for Wilson, officials said. Police don't believe he ever left the area.
Video from a witness shows more than a dozen law enforcement officers capturing him.
"I just saw a guy jump over the fence," the witness told NBC10. "Cops came and they said, 'Get on the ground.' They got him within minutes and that was it."
The extra police presence captured the attention of many residents, including Adam Capuano, a man who says he's been in the back of a Delaware County transport vehicle similar to the one Wilson was riding in.
"They changed the protocol to prison and the sheriff's every time I've been through it," Capuano said. "It's either you're handcuffed to somebody else or you're shackled. So, I guess if he was shackled by himself, when they let him out of the van. But there are sheriffs lined up. So, I don't understand how they lost him."
Sanders said officials will continue to investigate how the escape occurred.
"See where there were any mistakes made, when security measures were overlooked, and we will actually try to grow from whatever is revealed," Sanders said.
NBC10 reached out to Wilson's attorney who told us he had no comment.
