SAN FRANCISCO — Authorities captured an inmate who escaped Monday after overpowering a deputy and then using a stun gun on her as he was being was being transported to a Northern California hospital, officials said.
Maurice Ainsworth, 24, who was considered armed and dangerous, was arrested without incident after being holed up in an unoccupied house for more than four hours.
"We got him,” Santa Cruz County sheriff’s Sgt. Dan Campos said.
Ainsworth surrendered in a vacant house next to a house where police originally thought he was hiding, Santa Cruz Interim Police Chief Kevin Vogel told the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Ainsworth’s escape prompted foot and aerial searches, lockdowns at schools and evacuations of some homes in the neighborhood.
He fled around 11:30 a.m. while being transported to Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, Campos said. The 6 feet 7 inches tall, 275 pound Ainsworth punched and overpowered a female deputy while she was attempting to reshackle him, Campos said. They struggled briefly as Ainsworth took her Taser and used it on her, Campos added.
Ainsworth then took her .40-caliber handgun, fired a shot at another person and ran away, said Campos, who did not immediately know if that person was injured from the shooting.
Recommended for you
An injured deputy was listed in fair condition at Dominican, according to a statement by hospital spokesman Mike Lee.
Harbor High School and DeLaveaga Elementary School were temporarily put on lockdown as a precaution, schools Superintendent Gary Bloom said.
Ainsworth has a long criminal history, court records show. In June 2008 he was convicted of felony burglary, auto theft and evading a peace officer with injury. In April 2009, court records show he was also convicted of kidnapping, robbery, felony burglary and other charges.
Ainsworth had been in jail awaiting trial on charges that he committed a home invasion robbery in March 2009. He and co-defendant Jyler Raines are accused of breaking into a Los Gatos home with three people inside and stealing jewelry, wallets, bank information and a car.
Ainsworth was scheduled to go to trial Jan. 10 on the felony counts.
———
Associated Press writer Jason Dearen contributed to this report.
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO
personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who
make comments. Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. Don't threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Anyone violating these rules will be issued a
warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be
revoked.
Please purchase a Premium Subscription to continue reading.
To continue, please log in, or sign up for a new account.
We offer one free story view per month. If you register for an account, you will get two additional story views. After those three total views, we ask that you support us with a subscription.
A subscription to our digital content is so much more than just access to our valuable content. It means you’re helping to support a local community institution that has, from its very start, supported the betterment of our society. Thank you very much!
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep the discussion civilized. Absolutely NO personal attacks or insults directed toward writers, nor others who make comments.
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Anyone violating these rules will be issued a warning. After the warning, comment privileges can be revoked.