Despite having "promising" leads in the case, authorities in northwest Indiana are still searching for a murder suspect who escaped from custody in Lake County on Monday afternoon.
According to the Lake County Sheriff’s office, Leon Taylor, 22, was being transported in a private contracted van on Monday at approximately 3 p.m. when he escaped custody in a McDonald's drive-thru near the intersection of 35th and Grant Street in Gary, Indiana.
According to the Associated Press, Taylor escaped through the window of the vehicle. Surveillance footage shows the guard attempting to re-capture Taylor, but he was unsuccessful.
The agent who was transporting Taylor called police, and the Lake County Sheriff’s Department began to assist in the search for the suspect. A helicopter and canine unit were dispatched to the scene to aid in the search, but the suspect remains at large.
Authorities say Taylor was wearing a belly chain with handcuffs and a leg brace at the time of his escape. He was also wearing a gray hoodie, black Puma tennis shoes and black jeans.
He is described as a Black male, 6-feet tall and weighing approximately 162 pounds. He has hazel eyes and brown hair, police said.
Taylor is a suspect in a homicide in East Chicago, according to police, and was in the process of being extradited to Indiana from Texas at the time of his escape.
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Anyone with information on Taylor’s whereabouts is encouraged to call 911 immediately. He is considered dangerous, and should not be approached, officials say.
