A Georgia inmate who was thought to be “armed and dangerous” has been accused of using the rideshare service Uber to evade cops in an escape attempt.
Timothy Shane was taken to an Atlanta hospital on Sunday night “for a medical examination after a suicide attempt,” the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office said.
He is accused of escaping from the hospital in the early morning hours of Monday, fleeing on foot before stealing an SUV parked in the area, according to authorities.
He was captured on security camera in a blue hospital gown with no shoes on as he made his alleged escape.
“Inmate Shane has a history of fleeing along with felony drug and weapon charges,” police said.
Shane didn’t make it very far in the SUV before he crashed it, and then proceeded on foot again, according to authorities. The owner of the SUV said a Glock handgun was missing from the car, leading the cops to believe Shane was armed.
The police said Monday night Shane was caught on video stealing a silver Pontiac Grand Prix near the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. He was then reportedly seen wearing a red hoodie and dark blue pants.
Less than 30 minutes later, police said the Pontiac was found at a Publix in Henry County, roughly 40 minutes southeast of the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Police said Shane then requested an Uber to a home in Rockdale County.
When police showed up at the house, Shane was nowhere to be found, local outlet 11 Alive reported, citing officials.
Shane later requested another car from a rideshare service that picked him up in Newton County, officials said.
Police announced Wednesday morning that Shane was caught in Covington in Newton County.
“Units responded to the Covington area after receiving notification that he was seen knocking on doors,” the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office said.
The Covington Police Department later said in a press release that it received multiple reports from residents of Shane knocking on their doors. Covington police said that Shane was tracked down at an abandoned home with a broken window.
Shane was found inside the home and taken into custody “without incident,” according to authorities.
It’s unclear how Shane ordered the rideshare cars, given police said that he didn’t have a phone on him when he was taken into custody.
“We have as of yet to locate a cellphone,” Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett said, per NBC News. “So how he was making these calls [to get rides], we don’t quite know yet.”
