PITTSBURGH \u2014 Two jail guards were suspended after an inmate managed to briefly escape during a trip to the hospital. <\/p>\n
This inmate had one leg and was handcuffed to a crutch, but still managed to get away. <\/p>\n
11 Investigates has learned that he didn\u2019t get very far. <\/p>\n
Hospital staff noticed he was still handcuffed to a crutch, and they called security, who took him back into custody still inside the hospital. <\/p>\n
There are a lot of questions about how an inmate with one leg and handcuffed to a crutch managed to escape from two jail guards. <\/p>\n
It happened last Thursday at West Penn Hospital in Bloomfield.<\/p>\n
According to law enforcement sources, two Allegheny County jail guards were watching the inmate in a hospital room when he had to use the restroom. <\/p>\n
The guards removed one handcuff but left his other hand cuffed to a crutch that he uses to get around since he only has one leg. <\/p>\n
A nurse then came in to talk to the inmate, and seconds later, the inmate took off. <\/p>\n
But the jail guards thought he was still behind the curtain in his room on the ninth floor. <\/p>\n
A couple of minutes later, they discovered him missing. <\/p>\n
They suspect he followed the nurse out of the room. <\/p>\n
The guards began frantically searching the hospital. Hospital security eventually discovered him wandering the hallways.<\/p>\n
A county spokesperson tells 11 Investigates, \u201cThe two corrections officers involved are suspended pending an internal investigation. The investigation into this incident is ongoing and we do not have any further information to share at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Just last year, 11 Investigates spoke with the jail guard union president who raised concerns that guards were no longer allowed to use leg shackles while taking inmates to the hospital<\/a> for treatment. <\/p>\n PREVIOUS COVERAGE >>> Allegheny County corrections officers push to bring back use of leg shackles during hospital visits<\/a><\/p>\n At that time, he said there had been about a dozen escape attempts from local hospitals since the ban on shackles. <\/p>\n \u201cIt would make a huge difference. If anything, it\u2019s a deterrent because you know, you\u2019re not gonna be able to run,\u201d Jail Guard Union President Brian Englert said.<\/p>\n Those two jail guards have been suspended without pay during the investigation. <\/p>\n Channel 11 reached out to West Penn Hospital, but a spokesman declined comment, deferring to county jail officials. <\/p>\n No charges have been filed yet against that inmate.<\/p>\n Download the FREE WPXI News app<\/a> for breaking news alerts.<\/p>\n Follow Channel 11 News on Facebook<\/a> and Twitter<\/a>. | Watch WPXI NOW<\/a><\/p>\n TOP STORIES FROM CHANNEL 11 NEWS <\/p>\n \u00a92026 Cox Media Group<\/p>\n