A manhunt is underway for an escaped Texas inmate who fled from a courtroom while the guards in charge of him left him unattended to break up a fight in another courtroom.
Michael Devon Combs, 32, was alone for just 15 minutes. During that time, he managed to remove his shackles and flee a courtroom in Houston, where his bond was revoked for strangling the mother of his children, local authorities said.
The officers assigned to keep an eye on Combs responded to a panic button alarm when a huge brawl broke out between the families of a killer and the victim’s family Tuesday morning.
After addressing the court, the mother of slain 16-year-old Diamond Alvarez lashed out at the murder of her daughter, Frank DeLeon Jr., 20.
Michael Devon Combs, 32, was last seen in downtown Houston wearing a blue shirt and khaki pants after his escape.
A bailiff restrained the mother, but Alvarez’s uncle attacked the killer, sparking the struggle.
Video showed the uncle attacking the killer as three bailiffs and others in the court tried to stop the fight. A court security officer pulled out a Taser and pointed it at the uncle, although it is unclear whether it was used.
Combs took advantage of the chaos to flee, authorities alleged.
“He walked out of the courtroom, got into an elevator and walked out of the building,” Major Lynette Anderson of the Harris County Sheriff’s Office explained.
“When he came out of the building, he took off his ankle monitor.”
He was last seen on surveillance video wearing a blue shirt and khaki pants.
A huge brawl broke out between the families of a killer and his victim after the mother of a dead teenager called the killer a ‘monster’
DeLeon was sentenced to 45 years in prison for fatally shooting his girlfriend Diamond Alvarez, 16, after she confronted him about dating while he was in another relationship
A bailiff pulled DeLeon away from the uncle as the judge quickly retreated from the courtroom.
At the same time, DeLeon’s mother began arguing with the victim’s mother.
“Someone should have stayed with (Combs) at the time,” Anderson said, admitting protocols were not followed.
After order was restored, the victim’s mother told reporters she did not regret her words.
‘He’s a monster in my eyes. That would never change.’ said Anna Machado.
“Did he seem remorseful at all? No. He laughed at me. (Like) it’s a joke. A life is no joke. My daughter is no joke.”
Alvarez’s mother, Anna Machado, spoke at the hearing. When she was done, she left a witness stand and walked toward DeLeon. A bailiff stopped her, but the fight began
Alvarez’s uncle attacked the killer, leading to a huge fight (in the blue and white striped shirt) that bailiffs tried to stop
“I fought for justice, and today my daughter finally has justice,” Machado said I LOVE. “Our lives have been at a standstill since that night. We’re like walking zombies. He got what he deserves and I’m going to focus on my family, and Diamond got her justice, and I just want to move on.”
Alvarez’s uncle was taken into custody after the fight, although it is unclear whether he was charged with a crime.
DeLeon is expected to be sentenced to 45 years in prison. Alvarez’s mother, Anna Machado, spoke at the hearing.
One court security officer produced a Taser, although it is unclear whether it was used to subdue the uncle
As court security knocked the uncle to the ground, another member of the gallery charged and began assaulting the uncle
DeLeon was pulled from the fight when he admitted to murder. He is sentenced to 45 years in prison
DeLeon accepted a plea deal in court Tuesday morning as he was scheduled to appear in court this week on the charges.
Diamond had went to meet DeLeon while she was walking her dog Peanut around 9:30 PM to confront him for dating her while he was in a long-term relationship with another girl.
According to Houston police, DeLeon shot her 22 times in the back.
Her family immediately became concerned after hearing gunshots and then discovering Peanut alone and covered in blood outside their door.
Diamond was discovered by her brother a few blocks from her home in southwest Houston, near a field used as a neighborhood park.
She was still alive and Machado attempted CPR in vain, with paramedics pronouncing her dead at the scene.
The scuffle started when Diamond’s mother Anna Machado tried to run to DeLeon after giving her victim impact statement
Diamond Alvarez (fourth from left to right) with her family members on New Year’s Eve
It is not the first time that the procedure surrounding the case has degenerated into chaos.
Judge Hazel Jones had to request security in her Houston courtroom after Diamond’s brother Abel Alvarez accused DeLeon during an earlier hearing.
During that hearing, families were in the courtroom for a hearing when DeLeon was released on a $250,000 bond but was taken back into custody after his ankle monitor showed he had left home confinement without alerting authorities.
Judge Hazel Jones reinstated DeLeon’s bond after the ankle monitoring company admitted it could have been a mistake, and the teen walked out of the courtroom with his family members.