Texas Prisoner Escapes Restraints, Climbs Atop Moving Patrol Car

During a prisoner transfer on Thursday, 31-year-old Martin Gregory Estrada managed to escape his bonds. A video of his escape attempt was captured, and has since been shared on the internet.

Estrada was being transferred to another facility after he assaulted another patient, hospitalizing them. According to the Taylor County Sheriff’s Office on Facebook, he was being discharged for “safety reasons.”

When the deputy arrived, Martin was put in leg shackles and handcuffs. Estrada was being taken from the Red River Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Center to the Taylor County Jail. According to Fox News, the trip from Wichita Falls to Abilene was intended to be roughly 150 miles. However, the drive was interrupted before they could reach their destination.

Despite the heavy irons on his legs and the locked handcuffs, he still managed to free himself. On the way to Abilene on Highway 277, he slipped his hand free from the restraints.

He used this hand to shatter the back right window of the vehicle, and threatened suicide if the driver did not stop the car. The officer refused, wanting to wait until Wichita officers were present to assist in his re-capture.

Estrada then climbed out of the moving car, and sat himself atop the roof. Witnesses claim it took him 10 minutes to work himself out of the window and onto the roof of the car.

He remained there while the driver continued along the highway. Behind the vehicle, motorists took to filming the risky endeavor. The video of the incident shows backup arriving, and Estrada is seen hopping off the car into the grass. He was apprehended there, and the sheriff’s office reported that he was “‘tased’ and re-handcuffed.”

The couple who filmed the video, Jason and Jennifer Mustain, were on their way home from Michigan when they noticed the unusual situation unfolding in front of them.

“Something [didn’t] look right with that car,” Jason said, according to KFDM. “It [looked] like the back door [was] open.”

When Estrada began exiting the car in an attempt to escape, the couple began filming before calling 911. Five minutes later, backup arrived to stop Estrada’s escape. Because the window of the original patrol car was broken, he was taken to the Taylor County Jail by the Wichita County officers in another vehicle.

Estrada was wanted in Taylor Country for insufficient bond on multiple charges, including aggravated robbery, methamphetamine possession, unauthorized use of a vehicle, and evading arrest. His bond is currently set at $680,000.