Report reveals failures that allowed suspected killer Eric Abril to escape custody at a Roseville hospital
PLACER COUNTY - An investigation has revealed the law enforcement failures that allowed suspected Roseville park shooter, Eric Abril, to escape from custody at a hospital.
According to a statement released on Friday by the Placer County Sheriff's Office, a deputy from the sheriff's department used the hospital room restroom without ensuring that Abril remained restrained. Although Abril had initially been restrained, he managed to free himself and seized the opportunity to escape during the deputy's restroom break. Despite the deputy's efforts to pursue Abril, he was lost in the hospital parking lot.
A massive manhunt followed, ultimately leading to Abril's rearrest in a ravine behind a Roseville apartment complex.
The sheriff's department says that failure to follow fundamental law enforcement practices and departmental policies, along with complacency, led to Abril's escape.These findings followed Sheriff Wayne Woo's commitment in July to investigate the circumstances of Abril's escape and any policy violations that may have facilitated it.
You can read the entire findings and recommendations of the report, here.
A third-party consultant reviewed sheriff's office policies and procedures in place at the time of Abril's escape, and as a result, the sheriff's office says it increased staffing allocations in its corrections division and revised multiple policies and procedures.
"The recent inmate escape was unacceptable; we reassure our community that we remain committed to transparency. Our community deserves nothing less than our utmost dedication to your safety and security," the Placer County Sheriff's Office stated.
Abril is in custody in connection to the April shooting at Roseville's Mahany Park that left one person dead and one person injured.
The escape charge alone could equal a maximum of three years but could be doubled to six years.