SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Police were still searching Monday for a runaway homicide suspect more than 24 hours after he escaped a hospital in a Sacramento suburb.
Eric Abril, 35, escaped Placer County Sheriff’s Department custody around 3 a.m. Sunday morning from the Sutter Roseville Medical Center, the department said.
Abril was arrested in April after authorities said he shot a California Highway Patrol officer and two hostages, killing one, in a park in Roseville, a city about 16 miles (26 kilometers) northeast of Sacramento. Abril was charged with murder, aggravated kidnapping and attempted murder of a peace officer in connection with the shooting. He was booked in the Placer County jail without bail.
Authorities said he was taken to the hospital on Thursday, but they have not said why.
Around 12:50 a.m. Monday, police zeroed in on an area about a mile northeast of the hospital but came up empty after a two-hour search, the Sacramento Bee reported. The Placer County Sheriff's Department led the joint manhunt and has chased down a flurry of tips about Abril whereabouts.
The sheriff’s department didn’t immediately respond to questions about the search Monday. Roseville police declined to comment, referring questions to the Placer Sheriff’s department.
Police asked residents in the area to “exercise extreme caution” and call 911 if they see Abril. Authorities described him as a white man, six-feet tall, with brown hair. He weighs 175 pounds and has a tattoo on his left shoulder. He was captured on video Sunday wearing no shirt and orange pants, authorities said.
