A California convict who served 10 years in prison for a domestic violence standoff with a police officer escaped custody by wandering around the lightly guarded grounds of his workplace.
Authorities have now launched a massive search for 35-year-old Santiago Duran, who walked out of the Julius Klein Conservation Camp in the Los Angeles suburb of Azusa just before 2:45 p.m. on Monday.
That's when prison officials first noticed Duran's absence, according to a press release from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The release simply states that Duran has “departed” from the facility.
“Staff immediately initiated an emergency count and determined that Duran was not in camp,” the release states. “Within minutes, CDCR Correctional Safety Officers were directed to locate and arrest Duran, and local law enforcement was notified.”
In 2022, Duran was about 18 months into his sentence for a confrontation with a police officer responding to a domestic violence call in Porterville, Calif., north of Bakersfield, when the suspect pulled a gun on him. Ta. According to the local CBS affiliate.
He was in a workshop that can house 125 inmates, who are considered low to moderate risk, when he escaped. Prisoners at the camp are given a variety of jobs, including working on the grounds and performing maintenance duties.
This is not the first time an inmate has left the facility.
In July 2023, inmate Evan Chezik attempted a similar escape, wandering off-campus while no one was looking. He was rearrested five days later after authorities said he had committed a home invasion.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has announced that 99 percent of escaped inmates are eventually rearrested.
Authorities are urging the public to be on alert as Duran was last seen wearing a long-sleeved white thermal top and gray sweatpants.
His height is 5 feet 7 inches and his weight is 172 pounds.
He has black hair and brown eyes and has many tattoos.
