An attempted murder suspect’s escape was thwarted after he had to be rescued from a pond by firefighters.
Christopher Pray bolted from a psychiatric hospital in Oregon on Wednesday while fully shackled. But according to Oregon State Police, his bid for freedom was short-lived when he became trapped in a pond in Portland.
Portland Fire and Rescue Service says he became trapped in mud around 75ft away from solid ground. The water in the pond was around 6in deep.
Crews said they used ropes to slowly pull Pray to ground before cleaning him up. He was then taken to hospital by ambulance – 12 hours after becoming stuck.
Videos and details of the rescue emerged on social media. Pray gave firefighters a bogus name, but a hospital employee recognized the escapee and called law enforcement, according to state police.
He was restrained with leg shackles, a belly chain and handcuffs at the time, but still managed to make a bid for freedom. He managed to slip outside and steal a van while the driver left it unattended.
But escape ended when he was buried up to his arm pits in mud. And, once rescued and taken to hospital by fire crews, he was recognised by a hospital worker.
According to Fox News, law enforcement had previously told residents to look out for an “extremely dangerous” escapee. He has reportedly been charged with a long list of offences including attempted aggravated murder, robbery, assault and a felony with possession of a firearm in connection with a March 2022 incident.
Pray allegedly almost killed a woman in Multnomah County, Oregon, during a robbery. He is also facing charges connected to a violent domestic incident where he is accused of attacking a woman with a tool.
Pray was in the Oregon State Hospital in Salem earlier this week after he was found unfit to proceed with trial, according to court records reviewed by the Associated Press. Shortly after he was admitted, Pray had “an altercation with another patient,” state hospital spokesperson Amber Shoebridge said in a statement to news outlets.
Pray made his daring escape across the pond on Friday.
He also reportedly has a habit of attempting to avoid the law. According to Fox News he has tried to flee in criminal cases in June and August of 2022.
Commenting on the rescue, Portland Fire and Rescue said: “Crews on scene of a rope rescue of an individual who was attempting to swim across what appears to be a pond that is approx six inches deep at N Force Ave/N Victory Blvd and victim became deeply entrapped in mud approx 75 feet from solid ground.
“Crews have rope secured to victim and are making good progress slowly pulling them to solid ground now. They cleaned mud from victim and they were then transported to the hospital by ambulance. The victim was entrapped in the mud for over 12 hours.”
