Suspect Tries to Escape Hospital Via Ceiling

Columbia-NY Presbyterian Hospital, at Broadway & 168th Street, was under lockdown yesterday when a suspect, arrested on stolen property and drug charges and being monitored at the hospital, tried to escape by climbing into the ceiling. The Port Authority police had brought Esteban Guitterez to the hospital on Saturday night and the Columbia Spectator reports that he "was in a bathroom in the Emergency Room area at 11:50 a.m. Sunday, when he reportedly decided to climb into the ceiling of the facility. He subsequently trapped himself inside a wall of the structure." After searching for over an hour, Guitterez, according to the PA police, "was eventually determined to be on the other side of a sheetrock wall, so they knocked down the wall and there he was.” The PA police were joined by the NYPD in the manhunt—one man whose pregnant wife as evacuated said, "[My wife] was very scared, obviously." The Daily News adds that the PA cops who were guarding him "are not expected to be disciplined"

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By Jen Chung in News on February 16, 2009 10:25 AM

Comments [rss]

jaycjay

Not likely they actually actively searched for an hour. That probably is the entire time between when it was discovered that he was missing and when he was found. So after an initial local search of the area where he was last seen, they locked down the building, evacuated everyone (after which point there was no reason to hurry), and then began systematically to search the entire facility. No doubt there were dogs there by then, and most likely that's how he was located.

Snoopy

You can't blame the cops, according to union guidelines they are allowed two coffee and doughnut breaks an hour. Neither is to be longer than 45 minutes. Rules are rules.

Felix Hoenikker

He saw 'Die Hard' one too many times.

sharpshoota

If you worked there you would hate that the cops bring this garbage to the hospital to put everyone at risk. No one really wants to care care of this trash.