Former MMA fighter facing murder charges captured after escaping prisoner van

A former MMA fighter facing three pending murder charges spent hours on the loose in Texas on Sunday after escaping from a prisoner transport van that stopped at a McDonald's. Authorities captured Cedric Joseph Marks following a nine-hour manhunt that stretched through the afternoon.

Lt. Scott Spencer of the Montgomery County, Texas, Sheriff's Department, tweeted the news Sunday night.

Marks, 44, was being transported from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Bell County in Texas, according to the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office. He was wanted for questioning in connection with a burglary with intent to commit another felony. He also faces warrants for murders, though authorities didn't identify all of the victims. The Houston Chronicle reported one victim is Marks' former girlfriend, who met him on Tinder and had a restraining order against him.

Police said Marks was with nine other prisoners and two guards in a van run by Texas Prisoner Transport Services, a private company. He had escaped in the morning while the van was at a McDonald's in Conroe, about 40 miles north of Houston, and was last seen wearing an orange jumpsuit and restraints.

Authorities are investigating how he managed to get free. They had warned the public he should be considered "extremely dangerous."

Marks was once a professional fighter with the MMA who went by the nickname "Spiderman." His most recent fight was in September 2018, according to the MMA site Tapology. He also worked as a trainer at a gym in Killeen, Texas, several years ago.

In:
• Texas
• Murder