Prisoner recaptured after escaping from Delaware County courthouse in Media, Pennsylvania
Escaped prisoner Taqwa Wilson was recaptured and taken into custody after briefly escaping from the Delaware County Courthouse in Media, Pennsylvania, on Thursday morning, according to the county's sheriff.
Wilson was brought to the Media courthouse for a hearing before escaping around 8:30 a.m., Delaware County Sheriff Jerry Sanders Jr. said during a press conference. He was recaptured "in the vicinity of the courthouse" shortly before 11 a.m., the sheriff said.
A law enforcement source said Wilson was recaptured on Broomall Street in Media.
"He bolted and he was apprehended within two hours of his escape," Sanders said.
Multiple law enforcement sources say Wilson was in custody, slipped out of handcuffs and then escaped the courthouse through a fire escape door.
The borough sent a phone alert asking residents to shelter in place during the manhunt.
"My wife was in the kitchen and she called me and said they were coming into the yard with a rifle with a light on it and they were looking under our deck," Jerry Paul of Media said.
Wilson's escape prompted the nearby Media Providence Friends School to go into lockdown.
"Once the police had surrounded the campus for the most part and we learned he wasn't armed, at that point it's making sure just making sure the families are not freaking out," Jon Hall, the head of Media Providence Friends School, said.
Cellphone video shows police running through Heritage Park as they zeroed in on Wilson. Neighbors said Wilson was hiding in the weeds.
The Delaware County sheriff said police are investigating how Wilson escaped.
"See where there were any mistakes made," Sanders said, "where security measures were overlooked."
Wilson was in custody for a stolen car and DUI, according to sources. Public court records also show he was one of multiple defendants charged in a drug case in Philadelphia that was set to go to trial in July.
District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer said Wilson will face additional charges for his escape.
Sanders said Wilson has an "extended criminal record."
"He is in custody," Stollsteimer said. "Nobody in the community has to be alarmed at all."
Stollsteimer said business at the courthouse has resumed as normal.
