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A man arrested on a murder charge escaped from custody on Wednesday afternoon while being treated at George Washington University Hospital in Northwest Washington, prompting an order for students and staff members to shelter in place on the campus, authorities said.
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D.C. police said they had a helicopter presence over the neighborhood and federal agencies were assisting in the search. Officers with long guns were seen in the area of the escape. Police warned residents to expect street closures in the Foggy Bottom area.
Police identified the man being sought as Christopher Patrick Haynes. They initially said he was 31 years old and not handcuffed, but later clarified he is 30 and was “last seen with black handcuffs hanging from his right wrist.”
They described him as Black, standing 6 feet tall and weighing 205 pounds with shoulder-length black dreadlocks and brown eyes. He was wearing a black T-shirt with gray shorts underneath a white body- or jumpsuit and one red shoe, police said.
The escape occurred about 3:30 p.m. from the hospital in the 900 block of 23rd Street NW.
Authorities did not say how Haynes escaped, nor did they identify the killing in which he is charged. Paris Lewbel, a D.C. police spokesman, said Haynes had been arrested on a D.C. Superior Court warrant charging him with murder. It was not immediately clear why Haynes was at the hospital.
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An alert from George Washington University described the escaped man as a “dangerous individual” last reported seen near 24th Street and New Hampshire Avenue NW. “Do not engage,” the alert said. A later alert said there were no reports of anyone harmed on the campus. The hospital said in a statement it remained fully operation and was “coordinating with local authorities and monitoring the situation.”
Updated picture of Haynes: https://t.co/wlYJkf7YeM pic.twitter.com/pjQIpU8bEf
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) September 6, 2023
Campus officials lifted the shelter in place order after 8 p.m.
Thomas Janoski, a 19-year-old sophomore majoring in statistics, said he was in a lecture when the alerts went out. He said his professor apparently didn’t notice and class continued until its scheduled completion at 5 p.m.
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Janoski said some students left the building but others stayed. He said he was in an empty classroom in the Hall of Government building. Janoski said that students are expressing concern over text messages and that those in dorms “are not leaving.”
He said students are accustomed to frequent alerts about carjackings in the area, but those dissipate quickly. He said this alert seems to be going on longer.
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“People are a little bit concerned,” Janoski said.
The Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination program, a partnership of regional transportation agencies, listed extensive street closures or delays in the Foggy Bottom and Georgetown areas. They include southbound lanes of the Key Bridge, M and K streets, Canal Road and the Whitehurst Freeway. The Secret Service said there were “temporary, precautionary closures” around the White House, and its uniformed officers were helping in the search.
The School Without Walls, a high school located on the university campus, briefly went into lockdown, according to an alert. About 30 students were in the building at the time. The lockdown was lifted about 5:15 p.m. “For those traveling home, please get home safely,” the school said in an alert.
This is a developing story that will be updated.
Susan Svrluga, Michelle Boorstein, Clarence Williams and Emily Davies contributed to this report.
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