Murder Suspect Who Escaped D.C. Hospital Captured After 7-Week Manhunt

Christopher Patrick Haynes had complained about an ankle injury and was transported to the hospital where police say he assaulted an officer and fled

A murder suspect who escaped police custody last month has been recaptured in Washington D.C.

Christopher Patrick Haynes, 30, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force at approximately 10:30 a.m. local time off of Iverson Street in Oxon Hill, the U.S. Marshalls said in a press release.

Washington D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department said in its own statement that Haynes was captured with the help of its MPD Falcon 1 helicopter. Police said after his capture, he was taken to the Homicide Branch “where he will be charged with the escape” in addition to the “August 2023 murder of Brent Hayward.”

Police said in the statement that Haynes was arrested in Manassas, Virginia on Sept. 6 in connection to the murder of Brent Hayward on Aug. 12, in accordance with a  DC Superior Court Arrest warrant.

Related: Manhunt Underway for 4 Ga. Inmates — Including Murder Suspect — Who Escaped Jail

He was later transported to George Washington Hospital after he “complained of ankle pain from a pre-existing injury” while being processed, according to police.

While at the hospital, an officer tried to change his handcuffs to cuff one of his hands to a gurney when Haynes “physically assaulted” the officer and “fled from the hospital with one handcuff still attached to his right wrist,” per the statement. Police said two officers who had been with Haynes at the time tried to chase him but were unable to catch him.

Following his escape, the Metropolitan Police Department issued a public alert on social media that Haynes had escaped custody from George Washington Hospital at around 3:38 p.m.

Related: Murder Suspect Escapes Prison Using Bed Sheets After Evading Capture for Weeks

Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that they placed “temporary, precautionary closures” as well as “support units in the area” around the White House, which was located less than a mile from the hospital where Haynes escaped.

George Washington University also said it had canceled all in-person classes, events and other activities as a precaution, per NBC News.

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During a press conference on Thursday on Haynes’ recapture shared by DC News Now, Commander Don Snyder with the Capital Area Regional Fugitive Taskforce said that the reason why it took them some time to find him was because “we basically had to reestablish the investigation from the start.” He added that Haynes had also been “taking evasive actions to avoid capture.”

This isn’t the first time Haynes has been accused of assaulting officers. In September 2020, he allegedly tried to strike three Prince William County police officers with his vehicle and pleaded guilty to three counts of attempted malicious wounding on law enforcement officers, per Fox 5 News. 

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