Brandon Eugene Hunter made the effort to show up Tuesday for a hearing at the Sacramento County courthouse, waiting with the crush of other defendants.
He obediently appeared before a judge when his name was called. Everything went by the book – until it was time for the handcuffs.
In a scene that jolted jurors, court officials and deputies, Hunter, 19, twisted out of a bailiff's grip, sprinted out of Department 4 and leaped from the second-floor mezzanine into the lower stairwell, escaping deputies chasing after him.
"It was like you were on an episode of 'Cops,' " said juror Renae Musallam, who was facing the stairwell the North Highlands man bounded down shortly before 10 a.m.
"Cops were yelling, 'Stop him! Stop him!' A lady was yelling, 'My baby!' He was really quick."
Within seconds of the break, officers poured out of every available courtroom to join the chase. But by that time Hunter had disappeared on Eighth Street in a vehicle described as a green Ford Thunderbird.
"This happened so fast, we were unable to secure the perimeter," said sheriff's Sgt. Ken Bayless, who handles security at the Gordon D. Schaber Downtown Courthouse. "In this case, by the time the radio traffic got out, he had already cleared the second floor and was out the door."
Handfuls of startled and curious jurors pressed their faces against the large windows on the second floor, down the hall from Department 4, trying to catch a glimpse of the man.
"That was our excitement for the day," said another juror, Matt Salmon, who saw the young man in jeans and a sweat shirt whiz through the crowded courthouse. "That's crazy."
Hunter – who had been free on $20,000 bail – was scheduled to appear for a trial on felony charges of stealing a car and obtaining a stolen vehicle, but his case was to be continued, said Deputy District Attorney Zachary Bird, who was in court at the time but was not handling the case against Hunter.
Hunter's public defender, Richard Berson, could not be reached Tuesday.
Lana Wyant, spokeswoman for the District Attorney's Office, declined to allow interviews with the prosecutor in the case, Todd Hayward, because additional felony charges will likely be lodged if Hunter is captured.
No active manhunt is planned for Hunter because he is not considered a threat to society, sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said. An arrest warrant was issued and he will be arrested if deputies come across him or he surrenders.
The incident began when the court ordered Hunter remanded to jail. But when a deputy tried to handcuff him Hunter violently twisted his body to the left and broke free, Bayless said.
That deputy suffered a sprained finger, Bayless said, and was having her back examined at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center.
Another deputy who tried to jump after Hunter in the stairwell was also injured, hurting his ankle, Bayless said, declining to release the names of either deputy.
"You always have to try to account for the unexpected," the sergeant said. "(But) he was fast."
Call The Bee's Crystal Carreon, (916) 321-1203. Bee staff writer Chelsea Phua contributed to this report.
