One of two inmates who escaped from a Philadelphia jail last weekend is now back in custody, according to a report.
U.S. Marshals arrested Nasir Grant, 24, Thursday night, FOX 29 Philadelphia reported. Robert Clark, supervisory assistant for the US Marshals Eastern District, said authorities were monitoring an area in North Philadelphia where Grant was supposed to be hiding when they saw him emerge from a residence wearing “full Muslim garb” and a headgear.
He then got into a car and federal law enforcement followed him to the 2800 block of Dauphin Street in the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood of Philadelphia – where the car was cordoned off and Grant was arrested.
Grant and Ameen Hurst, 18, escaped from the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Center around 8:30 p.m. Sunday by punching a hole in a fence surrounding a playground, the Philadelphia Department of Prisons previously announced.
PERIMETER GUARDS OFF DUTY AS TWO INMATES ESCAPE FROM PHILADELPHIA JAIL: ‘COULDN’T HAVE PREVENTED THIS’
Photos provided by the Philadelphia Department of Prisons show Nasir Grant, left, and Ameen Hurst, right. (Philadelphia Department of Prisons via AP)
Grant was being held on drug and weapons conspiracy charges while Hurst, still missing, was jailed on four counts of murder. The two men were gone for nearly 19 hours before authorities noticed them missing. The men were housed in different cells in the same unit, officials said.
On Wednesday, US marshals also arrested Xianni Stalling, a woman accused of helping the men escape.
A judge set Stalling’s bail at $500,000. Prosecutors, who originally requested $2 million bail, are appealing the decision.
Authorities said Thursday they found evidence showing Stalling was communicating with one of the escaped inmates, but did not specify which one.
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner said Stalling was charged with criminal conspiracy, preventing the arrest, escape and using a means of communication, FOX 29 reported.
TWO PHILADELPHIA INMATES ESCAPE FROM JAIL WITHOUT NOTICE FOR NEARLY 7 HOURS; A CONSIDERED “DANGEROUS”
Department of Prisons Commissioner Blanche Carney, right, and Deputy Commissioner of Prisons Xavier Beaufort, left, hold photos of the two escaped inmates, Ameen Hurst, 18, and Nasir Grant, 24. (Tom Gralish/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP)
A correctional officers’ union official told The Associated Press on Tuesday that no corrections officer was assigned to guard the Philadelphia jail’s housing unit at the time the two men escaped.
The city’s Corrections Department remains understaffed, and they reportedly haven’t had armed perimeter guards on duty for that specific shift in at least eight or nine months.
Authorities continue to search for Ameen Hurst, one of two inmates who escaped from the Philadelphia Industrial Correctional Facility around 8:30 p.m. Sunday. (Mark Makela/Getty Images)
David Robinson, president of the Public Service Employees Union District 33 council, which represents correctional officers, said that under proper staffing conditions, two correctional officers would be assigned to each housing unit.
“I’ve been talking about personnel and security issues for years and seemingly ignored. I said how something was going to happen, and now something has happened, so are you listening now?” Robinson told the AP. “Of course, I’m not saying the commissioner took a key and let them out, but vital positions were cut which could have prevented that.”
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The Philadelphia Police Department and U.S. Marshals have asked for the public’s help in the search for Ameen Hurst, offering a combined reward of $25,000 for information leading to her arrest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
