Brazen Hospital Ambush: Idaho Inmate Escapes Custody, Three Corrections Officers Wounded
An intense manhunt is underway following an audacious attack at a Boise area hospital in Idaho on early Wednesday morning. The incident left three corrections officers wounded, as inmate Skylar Meade managed to escape from custody during the shooting incident.
The assault and escape transpired at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center around 2 a.m. MT, as inmate Meade was being discharged from the hospital. As he was being prepared for transportation back to the Idaho Maximum Security Institution, approximately 11 miles away, an unknown suspect launched a coordinated attack on the corrections officers.
Boise Police Department Chief Ron Winegar described the shooting as “brazen” during an afternoon news conference. The unexpected assault occurred when the corrections officers were getting ready to transfer Meade back to the maximum security prison. Suddenly, an assailant opened fire on the officers, striking two of them.
Meade and the suspected gunman subsequently fled the scene in a gray four-door sedan, believed to possibly be a Honda Civic. The third corrections officer sustained injuries from friendly fire as responding police officers believed the shooter was hiding inside the emergency department and perceived an armed person near the entrance.
One of the officers who had been struck by the assailant is in critical but stable condition, while the other two sustained non-life-threatening injuries. The identity of the shooter remains unknown at this time.
Authorities are asking for public assistance in locating the suspects’ vehicle and urging citizens to contact police or 911 if they spot it, but not to confront the suspects themselves. Winegar stressed that “they are dangerous, they are armed and they have shown a propensity for violence.”
Meade had been sentenced to prison in October 2016 due to aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with a firearm. He has numerous prior convictions and is known to be a documented gang member affiliated with the Aryan Knights. Meade was scheduled for release in 2036.
On Tuesday night, Meade sought medical care at the hospital after engaging in self-destructive behavior within prison segregation. The corrections department’s medical personnel deemed it necessary to transfer him offsite for emergency care. Meade remained at the hospital from 9:50 p.m. until his escape at 2:08 a.m.
