Second Palo Alto court escapee arrested
STOCKTON, Calif. (KTVU) - UPDATE: United States Marshals have arrested the second inmate that escapred from the Palo Alto Courthouse.
47-year-old John Bivens was captured at the Fairmont Inn in San Leandro around 9:30 Sunday morning.
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One of two inmates from Santa Clara county who escaped from a Palo Alto courthouse two weeks ago was captured by authorities late Tuesday evening after an officer-involved shooting in Stockton – but the second one was able to escape for a second time, authorities said.
Travel McClough, 47, was taken into custody on Tuesday, while his partner, John Bivins, is still on the loose, according to the California Highway Patrol and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office.
The pair escaped from the Palo Alto courthouse on Nov. 6 as they were headed to a court appearance on suspicion of stealing $64,000 in cell phones from a Verizon store in Sunnyvale, authorities said. They have been on the lam since then.
It's unclear what made the CHP initially pull over the vehicle in which the two were riding in.
But on Tuesday, at 5:16 p.m., CHP officers in Stockton tried to pull over a vehicle on northbound Interstate Highway 5, just south of West Eight Mile Road. A pursuit ensued onto southbound Trinity Parkway, where the driver, McClough, exited and ran into a Walmart and was later detained.
The passenger, Bivins, entered the driver's seat of the vehicle and fled south on Trinity Parkway, the CHP said. Just south of McAuliffe Road, Bivins was involved in an officer-involved shooting with a CHP officer. Witnesses said they heard at least four shots fired.
Bivins then fled north on Trinity Parkway.
Two people suspected of helping the men escape — Marquita Kirk, 44, of Sunnyvale, and Rene Hunt, 54, of East Palo Alto — have been arrested, according to the sheriff’s office.
Bivins was last seen in the vehicle, a green 1999 Ford Explorer with license plate no. 7TTY505.
McClough is a potential three-striker facing life in prison for robbery with a gun, and is charged with nine felonies, according to court records and reported by the Mercury News. Bivins has eight charges, seven of which are felonies including hit-and-run, and could get more than 10 years behind bars if convicted.