WASHINGTON, DC – SEPT 6: George Washington University in lockdown after Christopher Haynes, 30, escaped custody at George Washington University Hospital on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2023. He was being held on a homicide charge at the time of his escape
(Photo by Jordan Tovin for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Authorities have recaptured a murder suspect who escaped police custody while at George Washington University Hospital last month.
Christopher Haynes, 30, is accused of fatally shooting another man on Kenilworth Avenue NE on Aug. 12. He will be charged with escape and with the murder of Brent Hayward, according to D.C. police.
Haynes was arrested Sept. 6 in Manassas, Virginia, in the fatal shooting. He waived his right to an extradition hearing was taken to MPD's homicide branch to be booked and processed. However, later that day, while being questioned by police, Haynes complained of ankle pain from a previous injury. He was taken to GW Hospital.
As officers were changing out Haynes' handcuffs at the hospital to secure him to a gurney in a hallway, Haynes "physically assaulted the officer" and ran away, according to police.
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"Both officers chased after Haynes but were unable to catch him," D.C. police said.
Haynes' escape led to dozens of police scouring the Foggy Bottom neighborhood on foot and from the sky. Students and staff at The George Washington University were told to shelter in place for hours.
The FBI offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to Haynes' capture. That reward was increased to $30,000 on Sept. 13.
Almost two months after he escaped, Haynes was finally recaptured in Oxon Hill, Maryland, on Thursday.
Members of a U.S. Marshals Service task force joined D.C. police in finding the escaped man. Details of what led to the discovery were not immediately known, but authorities thanked "members of the community who assisted in providing information" about his location.
It is not yet known whether anyone will receive the reward money.
