SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County Sheriff's Office has apprehended 3 escaped inmates and their getaway driver after they fled by car from the jail Friday morning.
The inmates have been identified as Luis Arroyo, Eric Trevino and Jacob Brownson. The driver's identity has yet to be released.
Alamo Upholstery Owner Luis Villarreal spoke with the inmates and said they seemed suspicious.
“I’ve never saw in this area, these men,” he said. But Villarreal was shocked to find out he came face to face with men accused of violent crimes. He even lent them his phone, seconds before he and his workers would learn the truth.
"One started walking off, the other started walking off. The next thing you know, the cops showed up and then they ran off," said Alamo Upholstery employee Reed Criss.
According to police, the three escaped from the jail by cutting through mesh 20 feet from the ground, and use bedsheets to shimmy down into the jail's recreation area.
"It was a pretty miraculous feat that they pulled off," said Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar.
Salazar said once on the ground, the inmates escaped through the front side of the jail, fleeing in a white Mercury or Chrysler 4-door car driven by a female. The sheriff said the inmates put some thought into their plan and let nothing stand in their way.
Witnesses on-site to visit other inmates reported what they saw to authorities, prompting the manhunt.
All three inmates are incarcerated and awaiting charges in violent crimes including capital murder, injury to elderly, assault with a deadly weapon and possession.
The office obtained information that the inmates and the driver were at a nearby Sonic restuarant at Hildebrand and Blanco. After investigating, they found all four suspects inside and apprehended them.
The Bexar Co. Sheriff's Office is still investigating the specifics of how the inmates escaped.
"We'll start working backwards to find out how they started formulating this plan and how they got the materials together that they needed for this escape," said Salazar.
The inmates now face additional charges related to the escape. The getaway driver is expected to see her day in court, too.
