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Woman escapes from Muskegon Heights police car through rear window while handcuffed

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Paula Wethington
Paula Wethington
Web Producer
Paula Wethington is a digital producer at CBS Detroit. She previously held digital content roles at NEWSnet, Gannett/USA Today network and The Monroe News in Michigan. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina.
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Paula Wethington

/ CBS Detroit

A woman handcuffed in a Michigan police car escaped by pushing herself through a partially open rear window and fleeing on foot Saturday, authorities said. 

Police in Muskegon Heights, Michigan, say they have arrested the woman while video of the incident spreads on social media.

The woman's escape happened about 3:30 p.m. Saturday in the area Norton Avenue and Peck Street in the Western Michigan community,  

An officer who was on patrol in that area saw a vehicle parked near a vacant business building. The officer approached the vehicle and spoke with those inside.  

During the investigation, the department said police were able to identify the driver but were initially unable to identify the woman who was the passenger. Another police officer arrived with a fingerprint scanner that was used to confirm her identity. With that information, police said, officers learned a parole violation warrant was outstanding for the woman. 

Police took the woman into custody, handcuffed her, and placed her in the rear seat of a Muskegon Heights Police Department patrol vehicle. What happened after the officers placed her in the car was caught on video by someone else who was in the area. 

"A short time later, while officers were searching the suspect vehicle, the female was able to squeeze through the partially open rear window, exit the patrol vehicle, and flee the scene on foot," the police department report said. 

muskegon-heights-woman-slider.jpg
A woman escaped from police custody by pushing herself out of a partially open patrol car in Muskegon Heights, Michigan. She has since been found and is back in custody.

The video showed the woman pushing herself out of the rear passenger window despite her hands being cuffed behind her back. Once she got one leg out of the window, she stepped all the way out and ran in the opposite direction of the officers.

Police tried to locate her after realizing she was gone, but she was not found. Later that day, a resident of Peck Street reported a break-in. Police believe the suspect in that incident is the same woman who ran off from the patrol vehicle.

The woman was found about 9 a.m. Tuesday in a vacant home in Muskegon Heights, the police department said. She is now at the Muskegon County Jail, with charges pending.

"Muskegon Heights PD would like to thank the citizen who called in and reported the female's location," the follow-up police report said.

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