VIDEO: Police news conference to discuss fugitive's capture
This was the first time that an inmate escaped the custody of Cook County state's attorney investigators during transport and now both men charged with taking Maday to his sentencing are suspended with pay as an investigation is conducted into whether they violated established policies for transporting prisoners.
Robert Maday had reportedly told relatives he was confident he could escape from custody and that he wasn't going back to jail, but it wasn't to be. Maday's brief taste of freedom ended yesterday when he crashed the stolen car he was driving on Route 59 in West Chicago.
"A minute later there was police everywhere...pulling guns and rifles. I didn't want to get out of the car, said Guillermo Gonzalez." Gonzalez was on the receiving end of the crash. He suffered some minor back injuries, but is otherwise ok. Meanwhile police recovered two weapons Maday stole from the investigators he escaped from.
"He did not take any action towards the police officer. He was moving his hands but he quickly realized the incident was over", said U.S. Marshal Kim Widup, Northern District of Illinois.
Police also recovered several thousand dollars Maday allegedly stole from the First American Bank in Bloomingdale early Friday. This was the same bank he'd robbed last November. The harris bank in buffalo grove released this security camera picture from another bank robbery attributed to maday around the same time. It was after this robbery that Maday stole Domenica Saverino's Volkswagen Jetta at gunpoint.
"He goes, he lady, didn't you hear about the convict that escaped last night? He goes, that's me. And I looked at him in shock, like, what are you talking about, said Domenica Saverino."
Once recaptured Maday was taken from the crash scene on a stretcher with an army of officers keeping on close eye on him.
"I can't speak for how other agencies transport personnel. I know how we transport them, and he will not get away", said U.S. Marshal Kim Widup.
Maday was taken to Central DuPage Hospital to be treated for injuries sustained in the crash. He's now been released and is in the custody of U.S. Marshals. No word on when his original sentencing for last year's robbery will take place and what additional charges he may now face stemming from the escape.
