Manhunt Underway for Idaho Prisoner After Inmate Escapes Hospital, Leaving 3 Officers Shot

Police say Skylar Meade is on the run with his alleged accomplice, Nicholas Umphenour

Idaho police are on an urgent search for an inmate and his alleged accomplice, who authorities say carried out a pre-planned prison break early Wednesday morning that left three officers injured.

Skylar Meade, 31 — who was serving nearly 8 years of a 20-year sentence for having shot at a deputy in 2016 during a high speed chase — and Nicholas Umphenour, 28, were last seen fleeing in a gray 2020 Honda Civic with Idaho license plates.

The incident, according to the Boise Police Department, began Tuesday evening when Meade was transported to the Saint Alhponsus Regional Medical Center for self-inflicted injuries.

Hours later, around 2:15 a.m. local time Wednesday, officers from the Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) began to transport Meade back behind bars. But they were quickly ambushed by a man later identified by Umphenour, who allegedly opened fire at them in the ambulance bay.

"We believe that this was a coordinated attack on the Department of Corrections officers, and certainly a planned endeavor to free him from custody," Chief Ron Winegar of the Boise Police Department told reporters in a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

Two corrections officers were shot during the gunfight. A third correction officer, in the chaos of the incident, was mistakenly shot at the emergency room entrance police say by a guard responding to the scene who believed the officer was the shooter.

All three officers survived, with one in critical but stable condition.

The hospital was placed under lockdown as police searched for the suspects. "All patients and staff are safe, the medical center campus is safe and secure, and has resumed normal operations," Leticia Ramirez said Wednesday morning in a statement.

Meade, according to police, is a member of White supremacist group called the Aryan Knights. The 5-foot-6, 150-pound. man has A and K tattooed on his abdomen as well as the numbers 1 and 11 — for A and K, the first and 11th letters of the alphabet — inked on his face.

He has prior convictions including felony possession of a controlled substance, grand theft, and introduction of contraband into a correctional facility, authorities said. He was set to be released in October 2036, and was eligible for parole in 2026.

Umphenour is said to be 5-foot-11 and 160 pounds. A warrant for his arrest has been issued on two charges of aggravated battery against law enforcement and one charge of aiding and abetting an escape. It comes with a $2 million bond.

Both men have shaved heads, with brown facial hair and hazel eyes.

The FBI is now involved in the manhunt.

"I want to make sure that the public knows these folks are dangerous," Chief Winegar said. "They are dangerous, they are armed and they have shown a propensity for violence."

"They could be anywhere at this point," he added. "We are following every lead and accepting every possibility."

Anyone who spots the suspects are warned not to approach and immediately call 911 or Ada County Dispatch at 208-377-6790.

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