Police offer $25K reward in search for murder suspect who escaped from GW Hospital
WASHINGTON - Police are still searching for the murder suspect who escaped from the George Washington University Hospital.
New details have been released about the man who remains on the loose.
Christopher Haynes was arrested Wednesday morning in connection to a deadly double shooting that took place the morning of Aug. 12 in the 1500 block of Kenilworth Avenue in northeast D.C.
Police said 33-year-old Brent Hayward was killed and the remaining victim was taken to an area hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries.
Haynes was developed as a suspect and police secured warrants for his arrest. He was taken into custody in Manassas and was on his way to the Metropolitan Police Department to be processed when he complained about pain in his ankle.
Police took Haynes to George Washington Hospital around 2:30 p.m. and about an hour later, he made his escape.
Acting Police Chief Pamela Smith said two officers were with Haynes inside the hospital’s emergency department when he escaped. Smith indicated officers were in the process of handcuffing Haynes to the bed when he assaulted one of the officers and ran.
"Typically what happens is when the officers transport a suspect or arrestee to the hospital, we typically take the handcuffs off," Smith said. "The arrestee is handcuffed to the gurney or the bed which he may be sitting on and as he was taking one of the handcuffs off of anyone’s arms, the suspect got up and aggressively moved away from the officer and fled the scene."
Both officers chased after Haynes but were unable to catch him. It’s a mistake Smith says won’t happen again and MPD has opened an internal investigation into the incident.
The escape prompted a large police response and put the campus on lockdown, which was lifted Wednesday night.
"I was walking around campus, just coming from the Metro, then I saw the helicopters and the motorcycles and cop cars everywhere," GW student Davina told FOX 5. "I could tell something was happening."
Hayward’s family was also notified of Haynes’ escape. His mother and sister-in-law both say this has all been surreal and did hear from police about what happened and are shaken. They tell FOX 5 they want justice and say that starts with Haynes' capture.
Police say the last confirmed sighting was of him running away from the hospital and didn’t release anything publicly about where they thought he may be but did indicate he had connections to Stafford, Prince William and Fauquier counties.
They’re continuing to ask the public for help.
"I think anytime you have a fugitive who is wanted for murder, there’s some concern, like I stated, he’s not armed, we do believe him to be dangerous because he did commit murder, which is why we’re asking the public for assistance. If they see him please let us know," she said.
Haynes is described as a 30-year-old Black male, 6’0" in height, weighing approximately 205 lbs with a medium brown complexion. He has black hair and brown eyes with shoulder-length dreadlocks and a Washington Nationals tattoo on his neck. He was last seen wearing a black shirt, gray shorts, and white socks with black handcuffs hanging from his right wrist.
A $25,000 reward is being offered for any information that leads to his arrest.
Police have released surveillance footage of Haynes evading officers while trespassing in someone's backyard. Check it out below: