First inmate to escape the notorious San Quentin prison in 18 years is captured at a Taco Bell 200 miles away after four days on the run
- Corrections officials say they took 21-year-old Shalom Mendoza into custody at a fast food restaurant Saturday without incident
- A resident alerted authorities after seeing Mendoza at a Taco Bell in Paso Robles, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of the prison.
- He was first reported missing on Wednesday at approximately 9.35pm during a routine headcount
- A motorist who was driving a Toyota Rav4 with a California license plate 6STZ502 may have been carjacked by the man at the time of the escape
- The car was taken from a San Rafael Home Depot and was found abandoned and off the 101 Freeway north of Paso Robles on Friday
California authorities have captured an inmate who walked away from San Quentin State Prison and was sought for nearly four days.
Corrections officials say they took 21-year-old Shalom Mendoza into custody at a fast food restaurant Saturday without incident. A resident alerted authorities after seeing Mendoza at a Taco Bell in Paso Robles, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of the prison.
Mendoza had ditched his prison outfit and was wearing dark clothing at the time he was apprehended.
He’s suspected of carjacking a vehicle after fleeing a minimum-security work assignment outside the prison walls.
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Corrections officials say they took 21-year-old Shalom Mendoza into custody at a fast food restaurant Saturday without incident
A resident alerted authorities after seeing Mendoza at a Taco Bell in Paso Robles, more than 200 miles (320 kilometers) southeast of the prison
The car, a Toyota Rav4 that was taken from a San Rafael Home Depot, was found abandoned and off the 101 Freeway north of Paso Robles on Friday, according to a release from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The corrections department says prosecutors will determine whether to charge Mendoza with escape and carjacking.
Mendoza was first reported missing on Wednesday at approximately 9.35pm during a routine headcount. He had been working outside the secured perimeter of the prison.
The car, a Toyota Rav4 that was taken from a San Rafael Home Depot, was found abandoned and off the 101 Freeway north of Paso Robles on Friday
Lt. Samuel Robinson, with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, said that the prison activated its emergency operations and escape plan to try to find Mendoza.
He was first reported missing from the San Quentin State Prison on Wednesday at approximately 9.35pm during a routine headcount
It was during that time that investigators learned that a nearby motorist had been carjacked at the time of the escape.
A motorist who was driving a Toyota Rav4 with a California license plate 6STZ502 may have been carjacked by the man.
A positive identification is still being confirmed for the suspect involved in the carjacking, said California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations Press Secretary Vicky Waters.
Mendoza arrived at the state prison on December 20, 2017, to serve a five-year sentence for use of a deadly weapon during a carjacking or attempted carjacking and evading or attempting to evade a peace officer while driving recklessly, reports Patch.com.
Mendoza arrived at the state prison on December 20, 2017, to serve a five-year sentence
He was convicted in Los Angeles County.
Mendoza is described as being five-feet-five inches tall and 177 pounds. He has short brown hair and brown eyes.
The last time someone attempted to break out of the infamous prison was in 2000 when Paul Tuilaepa, Tiequon Cox and Noel Jackson rushed guards in an effort to break free.
They were ultimately detained, according to SF Gate.