A Florida man is back in custody after Orange City police said he escaped the Police Department through the bathroom ceiling.
Police said Michael Caruso punched a hole through the bathroom ceiling Sunday just before 7 p.m.
Caruso was initially under arrest for two counts of grand theft, resisting law enforcement and a warrant, and was being held in a holding cell, police said.
Caruso asked police several times to use the restroom. Police said they walked Caruso into the restroom and that he closed the stall. The officer said he waited a few minutes and then told Caruso to “hurry up,” Caruso asked for two more minutes, police said.
The officer said he waited two minutes, knocked on the door loudly, but got no response. A backup officer arrived and both yelled for Caruso to come out, when he didn’t, they went inside and discovered Caruso created a hole in the bathroom ceiling by destroying the sheet rock.
Caruso climbed into the attic, removed an attic fan and walked out of the Police Department, police said.
While officers set up a perimeter and began looking for Caruso, a man called police to say Caruso was hiding in his garage, police said.
The man asked Caruso what he was doing in his garage and Caruso said he needed a ride because he had just escaped from the Orange City jail and that police were looking for him, police said.
The man told Caruso to hold on, went inside his home and told his girlfriend to call 911 while he grabbed his gun, police said.
Caruso ran off and tried breaking into another home, but the homeowner was able to push Caruso out of the home, police said.
Caruso was caught and re-arrested on Crittenden Avenue, police said. When questioned on why he ran away, Caruso told police that he didn’t want to go back to prison.
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