Have you seen Alexander Santiago-Gonzales, the guy in the photo above? If so, give 911 a call immediately. According to the San Francisco Sheriff's Department, he's a suspect in a narcotics and weapons case who escaped from SF County Jail last night.
Here's how it went down: Kathy Gorwood, spokesperson for the Sheriff's Department, says that Santiago-Gonzales, an inmate in the jail at the Hall of Justice (located at 850 Bryant Street in SoMa), was taking trash to the HoJ basement dumpster at 8:45 last night. That's when he broke away from his deputy sheriff escort and fled on Harriet Alley towards Harrison Street, Gorwood says. The deputy chased Santiago-Gonzales, but Santiago-Gonzales was faster, and he remains on the loose today.
Santiago-Gonzales, who hails from Pescadero, is 26 years of age and is described as a Hispanic male standing 5'6" and weighing approximately 180 lbs., with black hair and brown eyes.
He was shirtless at the time of his escape, the Chron reports, and KTVU says that "During his escape, Santiago-Gonzales took off his orange jail jumpsuit and was last seen only in his boxer shorts."
Gorwood says that Santiago-Gonzales has been at SF County Jail since last July on a US Marshal hold for narcotics trafficking, possession of a firearm, and being a felon in possession of a firearm in narcotics trafficking.
Witnesses report seeing a large contingent of SF Sheriff's deputies and San Francisco Police Department officers combing the area of Fifth and Folsom Streets Monday night for Santiago-Gonzales, but as of Tuesday morning he remains at large.
The circumstances of Santiago-Gonzales' escape are remarkably similar to another escape last June, when 40-year-old Timothy Midgett escaped while on trash duty. Midgett was eventually found two blocks away, in a homeless shelter near the jail.
Given the ease with which inmates can apparently evade capture while taking out the trash, it's unclear why the practice continues, but Gorwood says that there is an active internal investigation to review the "policies, procedure and the circumstances surrounding the escape."
In any case, if you believe you've spotted Santiago-Gonzales, please contact the police via 911 or at 415-734-3111.
Related: Inmate Escapes S.F. Jail One Month Before Scheduled Release
Inmate Who Escaped S.F. Jail Turns Up Two Blocks Away