On Tuesday evening, a patient managed to escape from one of Maryland’s state-run psychiatric hospitals by breaking through a shattered window and making a getaway in a waiting car, as reported by local police.
The incident unfolded when an unknown individual approached the Eastern Shore Hospital Center and fired multiple gunshots into a glass window, subsequently kicking in the broken frame. The patient and the shooter then left the scene in a black vehicle. No injuries were reported during the incident.
The escapee was identified as 19-year-old Darrin Lee Jeter, who had been committed to the hospital earlier in the year after being arrested for assaulting a law enforcement officer and facing other charges.
Jeter had been held without bail following the May arrest, and a court-ordered mental health evaluation led to him being placed in the custody of the Maryland Department of Health. A hearing scheduled for November would determine his mental competence to stand trial.
Law enforcement located Jeter in Montgomery County, a suburban area north of Washington, D.C., approximately 100 miles away from the hospital.
At this time, it remains unclear if Jeter will face additional charges related to the escape or where he will be housed moving forward. Authorities are still actively working to identify the individual responsible for the shooting incident.
