Crime & Safety

Jail Escapee Discovered During Search for Another Suspect

Glendora Police discovered one of the witnesses interviewed during Tuesday night's search was an arrestee who escaped a Glendora jail.

Glendora Police looked for one suspect Tuesday evening, but instead found another who managed to escape a Glendora jail Nov. 6.

Glendora Police arrested Arthur Jay Guerrero, 24, in the 2000 block of East Inola Street Wednesday morning, in the same residence where an allegedly armed suspect fled the scene the night before.

Guerrero was questioned by investigators during Tuesday’s search for Jose Rosas, an activist who goes by Emmanuel Freeman. Guerrero gave a false name and birth date during questioning.

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It wasn’t until the following morning when investigators were able to match Guerrero with the mug shot of an arrestee who escaped the Glendora jail just two weeks prior.

Guerrero pulled a Houdini trick when he disappeared from his booking cage following his Nov. 6 arrest by Glendora Police. Guerrero was arrested that day for obstructing an officer and false registration of a vehicle when the officer approached him over a suspected stolen car.

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Lt. Brian Summers said Guerrero was left alone in his booking cage for several minutes. When an officer returned, Guerrero was missing.

After viewing surveillance footage, police discovered Guerrero managed to squeeze himself through an 8-inch horizontal opening from the top of the cage door to the ceiling.

“Anyone looking at that wouldn’t think there was any way possible a human being can fit through that 8-inch horizontal space,” said Summers.  “In 46 years, no one has ever tried it. “

Summers said since then, the small gap Guerrero used to escape has been fixed.

Guerrero’s charges now include escape from jail, commercial burglary, obstruction of a police officer, and refusal to give a DNA sample at a Los Angeles courthouse.

His bail is set at $1,003,500. Guerrero is due to appear in a Los Angeles County courthouse Monday.


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