Doorbell cameras helped capture escapee from Atlanta hospital

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COVINGTON, Ga. (AP) — An inmate who touched off a massive search when he escaped from an Atlanta hospital and allegedly stole a car with a handgun inside it has been captured, authorities announced early Wednesday.

Timothy Shane, 52, was apprehended in a residential area of Covington, Georgia, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) outside Atlanta, where he had been seen knocking on doors, Rockdale County Sheriff Eric Levett said in a statement.

Officers tracked him down using video surveillance, including images that showed Shane at a grocery store southeast of Atlanta and recordings from home doorbell cameras. A helicopter crew and police dogs joined the search before he was ultimately found inside an empty residence in the neighborhood, the sheriff said.

Authorities had warned the public to be wary of Shane, who they said was armed and dangerous.

The inmate had been taken to a hospital in Atlanta on Sunday evening, and escaped around 1 a.m. Monday, driving off in a SUV that had been parked nearby. Shane then crashed and left the car, taking the Glock handgun him, authorities said.

Officials announced Monday that Shane was later spotted on video stealing a Pontiac Grand Prix near Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. That car was found outside a grocery store in Henry County, about 33 miles (53 kilometers) south of Atlanta.

Officials say he was wearing a blue hospital gown and no shoes when he escaped, and later managed to change into a red hoodie and dark blue pants.

Shane ordered an Uber to a home in south Rockdale, but law enforcement didn’t find him there, according to the sheriff’s office.

No injuries were reported in the arrest. A photo released by the sheriff showed the inmate with his hands behind his back and surrounded by three law officers and a police dog before dawn.

An internal investigation has been opened into how Shane escaped from custody at Grady Memorial Hospital. The sheriff said investigators have been awaiting hospital surveillance video to learn more. He vowed consequences if it turns out that his employees failed to adequately guard him.

“If there’s anything that an employee violated, that employee or any employees will be held accountable," Levett said.

Levett also said he believes Shane used a ruse in order to be taken to Grady in the first place. Based partly on interviews with other inmates, he said he believes Shane orchestrated a “staged” suicide attempt.

Before he was taken to the Atlanta hospital, Shane had been booked into jail on Nov. 24 on charges including attempting or committing a felony with a firearm or knife and possessing methamphetamine, according to jail records.

Shane was not listed in online Rockdale County court records. Offices of the public defender and prosecutor did not immediately respond to requests for information on who can comment on his behalf or whether he has an attorney.