NATIONAL NEWS

2nd escaped inmate captured after breaking out of Philadelphia prison

May 17, 2023, 7:10 AM | Updated: 8:26 am

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A federal marshals fugitive task force has recaptured the second of two inmates who escaped from a Philadelphia prison earlier this month, a man who had been held on charges in four slayings, authorities said.

Ameen Hurst, 18, was taken into custody at about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday in west Philadelphia, according to Robert Clark, supervisory deputy of the U.S. Marshals Service in the eastern district of Pennsylvania. Authorities had been working with the family since Tuesday evening to have Hurst surrender, but several deadlines for that to happen had come and gone, Clark said.

Authorities had staked out several locations where Hurst was believed to be hiding, and when a person believed to be him was seen getting into a car with two other family members, officials moved in and arrested him without incident, Clark said. A relative was also detained for questioning, he said

Hurst and Nasir Grant, 24, escaped from the Philadelphia Industrial Correction Center on May 7 by cutting a hole in a fence surrounding a recreation yard, the Philadelphia Department of Prisons has said. The two men were gone for nearly 19 hours before officials knew they were missing.

Before the escape, Hurst had been held on four counts of murder while Grant was being held on conspiracy drug charges and conspiracy weapons charges. Officials have said the inmates were housed in the same unit, but different cells.

Grant was arrested Thursday night after members of a fugitive task force who were conducting surveillance in an area of North Philadelphia saw him leave a residence dressed as a woman. He was stopped in a car nearby and arrested without incident.

Three people have been charged with aiding the men in their escape.

Michael Abrams, 21, described by a police official as an “associate” of Hurst, was arrested Monday afternoon in Berwyn and faces charges of criminal conspiracy, hindering apprehension, escape and criminal use of a communication facility. Facing similar charges is 21-year-old Xianni Stalling, who is accused of putting Hurst in touch with a potential getaway driver during recorded phone calls he made from jail hours before the escape, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Authorities have also alleged that the escapees were aided by a fellow inmate who’s charged with murder in a brawl outside a famed Philadelphia cheesesteak shop. Thirty-five-year-old Jose Flores-Huerta is charged with criminal conspiracy and escape. He is one of several people charged in the September 2021 death of 28-year-old Isidro Cortez of Queens, New York, outside Pat’s King of Steaks; his attorney has said other suspects were primarily responsible.

National News

Associated Press

Georgia joins states seeking parental permission before children join social media

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia could join other states in requiring children younger than 16 to have their parents’ explicit permission to create social media accounts. Lawmakers on Friday gave final approval to Senate Bill 351, which also would ban social media use on school devices and internet services, require porn sites to verify users are […]

6 hours ago

Associated Press

Cranes arriving to start removing wreckage from deadly Baltimore bridge collapse

BALTIMORE (AP) — The largest crane on the Eastern Seaboard was being transported to Baltimore so crews on Friday can begin removing the wreckage of a collapsed highway bridge that has halted a search for four workers still missing days after the disaster and blocked the city’s vital port from operating. Maryland Gov. Wes Moore […]

7 hours ago

Associated Press

Georgia House approves new election rules that could impact 2024 presidential contest

ATLANTA (AP) — The Georgia House of Representatives on Thursday approved new rules for challenging voters and qualifying for the state’s presidential ballot that could impact the 2024 presidential race in the battleground state. The House passed Senate Bill 189 by a vote of 101 to 73. It now goes to the state Senate for […]

7 hours ago

Associated Press

Ex-Caltrain employee and contractor charged with building secret homes with public funds

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A former employee of Caltrain, a mass transit system that connects Silicon Valley with San Francisco, and a former contractor for the transit agency allegedly used public funds to build two small apartments for themselves inside two train stations, authorities said Thursday. San Mateo County prosecutors charged Joseph Vincent Navarro, a […]

8 hours ago

Associated Press

Oregon city can’t limit church’s homeless meal services, federal judge rules

BROOKINGS, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that a southern Oregon city can’t limit a local church’s homeless meal services. U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Clarke found that an ordinance passed by the small city of Brookings, on the southern Oregon coast, violated the religious freedom rights of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, KGW reported. […]

8 hours ago

Associated Press

Baltimore bridge collapse puts the highly specialized role of ship’s pilot under the spotlight

The expert pilots who navigate massive ships in and out of Baltimore’s port must often maneuver with just 2 feet (0.6 meter) of clearance from the channel floor and memorize charts, currents and every other possible maritime variable. The highly specialized role — in which a pilot temporarily takes control of a ship from its […]

11 hours ago

2nd escaped inmate captured after breaking out of Philadelphia prison