It was a mad dash out of the courthouse that police say only lasted about 4 minutes, but could have a lasting impact for years to come.
21-year-old Anthony Espinoza was in an upstairs courtroom at the downtown Bakersfield courthouse on Friday, appearing out of custody for weapons and sexual battery charges.
Witnesses told 23ABC that the judge had Espinoza apprehended because he had tried to commit suicide while out of custody. They said that he would be sent to Patton State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in San Bernardino county.
The witnesses say that Espinoza was waiting for jail transport when he slipped a hand out of his handcuffs and bolted out of the courthouse and across the street.
After a short chase, Espinoza was arrested on the top level of a parking structure.
Espinoza was arraigned on Tuesday for charges of resisting arrest and escaping jail while charged with a felony. He has been placed at Patton State Hospital and is currently found incompetent to stand trial.
23ABC spoke with the sheriff's department on Monday in regards to policy changes that might be implemented to stop another courthouse runner.
The sheriff's department says before this incident, the handcuffs for people who appeared out of custody and were then arrested, like Espinoza, were looser compared to ones that an inmate would have. They would also not be given leg cuffs.
The sheriff's department says now anyone who is apprehended will have their hands and feet shackled as inmates currently do.
The sheriff's department added that talk of changing this policy had been in the works for quite some time, but Espinoza's escape prompted the change to be made immediately.
