A prisoner at the Camp Street jail escaped from the facility yesterday morning but was held shortly after following a chase by a policeman.
The prisoner has been identified as 27-year-oil Ruco McIntyre, who was charged with larceny of a cellphone. He had just returned from church.
According to an eyewitness, around 11 am the prisoner jumped the fence facing Bent Street and ran. It is unclear how he scaled the fence. A Tactical Services Unit officer who was alerted by one of the watchtower guards was able to give chase behind the prisoner. The prisoner was caught along D’Urban Street and taken back to the facility.
Speaking with Stabroek News, Director of Prisons, Gladwin Samuels stated that there appeared to have been a breakdown in the manner of how persons are escorted after their return from church. It was because of this breakdown, he said, that the prisoner was able to make his way over the fence.
Samuels added that an investigation will be launched to discover if anyone ought to be held accountable for the prisoner’s fleeting escape. He said that there are systems in place to prevent such incidents from occurring but persons must be more firm in the execution of their duties.
The escape of prisoners is now viewed with grave consternation following the breakout by five dangerous inmates from the Camp Street jail in February, 2002.
