Handcuffed Prisoner Stole Police Car, Led Cops on Chase

A handcuffed prisoner seated in the back of a police car Thursday night was able to slip the cuffs in front of him and steal the vehicle, leading officers on a chase before crashing into several parked cars in a residential community.

Police in the village of Freeport, about 30 miles from Manhattan, pulled over Andrew Howard’s minivan after an alert from license plate readers that the 36-year-old had open warrants. The officers arrested Howard, handcuffing him and placing him in the back of a police SUV. But they say Howard was able to slip the handcuffs in front of him and squeeze through a small partition between the front and back seats.

Police say the opening was about 1 foot square. Newsday said Howard is 5 feet 9 inches and weighs 155 pounds.

“This is a very nimble and very agile individual…” said Det. Lt. Richard Lebrun, a Nassau police spokesman. “It was a sliding Plexiglas partition and nobody ever thought that an individual could squeeze through an 11.5 by 12 and a quarter square hole.”

Police said Howard made his way behind the wheel and took off in the police SUV, leading officers on a chase for nearly two miles before he crashed. No injuries were reported.

Howard was arrested on charges including escape, resisting arrest, unlawful fleeing of police, and grand larceny.

This article appeared in print on page 6 of the March 15th, 2016 edition of Hamodia.