Handcuffed suspect escapes police car

PORTAGE, Mich. (WOOD) - The Portage Department of Public Safety is looking for a man who escaped from a police vehicle early Monday morning. He is not considered dangerous.  

Brandon Wayne Brock, 31, was allegedly fighting in the parking lot of the Portage Main Street Pub, 7500 block of S. Westnedge Ave., Monday when restaurant employees called police. 

An officer responded to the call about the fight and arrested Brock on a misdemeanor assault charge. Brock was handcuffed and placed in the back of a Portage police cruiser.

Lt. Thomas Palenick told 24 Hour News 8 the officer then left Brock alone in the vehicle while he went inside the restaurant to talk with the victim.

That is when Brock was able to make his escape.  

"Because of Mr. Brock's slight nature, small in stature, he was able to move the handcuffs from his rear side to his front, and subsequently crawled between the plastic barrier between the rear seat and the front seat, escaping custody," Palenick explained.  

Lt. Palenick told 24 Hour News 8 the officer who left Brock in the vehicle did everything correctly.

"Any time an incident like this occurs we look at it closely," said Palenick.  

He said it is very difficult for most people to escape from that type of situation.  

"I couldn't do it," said Lt. Palenick. "It takes a person of pretty slight stature, first to move cuffs from where you're normally cuffed in the backside to the front, secondly, the opening between in the plastic barrier in between the front and the rear seat of the patrol vehicle is fairly small. A person of any size wouldn't be able to climb through it in any way."

Brock now faces the original misdemeanor assault charge, and an additional felony charge of escaping police custody. He will also face a charge of larceny of police property for taking the handcuffs he was wearing during the escape.

Lt. Palenick said the Department of Public Safety does not believe Brock is a danger to the public. He said Brock does not have any dangerous offenses in his past.

Anyone with information regarding Brock's whereabouts is asked to call the Portage Department of Public Safety at 269.329.4567 or Silent Observer at 269.343.2100.