Manhunt for Idaho Escapee Skylar Meade After Hospital Escape Results in 3 Officers Wounded.
Authorities in Idaho are urgently seeking an escaped inmate and his accomplice, who are believed to have orchestrated an escape from custody early Wednesday, injuring three officers in the process.
Skylar Meade, 31, serving a significant portion of a 20-year term for firing at a deputy in a 2016 pursuit, alongside Nicholas Umphenour, 28, were last seen driving away in a gray 2020 Honda Civic, bearing Idaho license plates. The sequence of events, as reported by the Boise Police Department, commenced Tuesday night when Meade was taken to the Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center due to self-inflicted injuries.
Subsequently, around 2:15 a.m. Wednesday, as Idaho Department of Corrections (IDOC) officers were transferring Meade back to prison, they were suddenly attacked by an individual later identified as Umphenour, who reportedly shot at them in the ambulance bay.
“This appears to be a deliberate assault on the Department of Corrections officers, evidently a plotted scheme to release him from custody,” Boise Police Department Chief Ron Winegar explained in a press briefing Wednesday afternoon.
The encounter resulted in two corrections officers being shot. A third correction officer was accidentally shot at the emergency room entrance, police state, by a guard reacting to the situation who mistook the officer for the assailant.
All three officers have survived, with one in critical but stable condition.
The hospital initiated a lockdown during the search for the suspects. “The safety of all patients and staff is assured, the medical center campus is now secure, and operations have returned to normal,” stated Leticia Ramirez on Wednesday morning.
Police describe Meade as affiliated with the White supremacist group, the Aryan Knights, standing 5-foot-6, weighing 150 pounds, with “A and K” tattooed on his abdomen and “1 and 11” tattooed on his face, symbolizing the group’s initials.
His record includes convictions for felony drug possession, grand theft, and smuggling contraband into a prison. He was projected for release in October 2036, with parole eligibility in 2026. Umphenour, standing 5-foot-11 and weighing 160 pounds, is now wanted under a $2 million bond for two counts of aggravated battery on law enforcement and one count of aiding and abetting an escape.
Both individuals are described as having shaved heads, brown facial hair, and hazel eyes.
The FBI has joined the search efforts. “These individuals are considered highly dangerous,” stated Chief Winegar. “They are armed, have demonstrated violent behavior, and could potentially be anywhere.”
“We are exploring all leads and remain open to all possibilities,” he continued.
The public is cautioned against approaching the suspects and urged to contact 911 or Ada County Dispatch at 208-377-6790 immediately upon sighting.
Source: abc7
