Eric Abril, a 35-year-old man accused of killing a 72-year-old man and taking his wife hostage in a shootout with police in Roseville, California, was captured by authorities on Monday after escaping from a hospital where he was under guard.
Here is everything you need to know about the case, the escape and the capture of Eric Abril.
The Shooting and Hostage-Taking Incident
- On April 6, 2023, around 3:30 p.m., Abril allegedly shot and killed James MacEgan, a retired engineer, at Mahany Park in Roseville, where MacEgan was walking with his wife Patricia.
- Abril then allegedly took Patricia hostage and fled in a car, shooting at pursuing officers and hitting a California Highway Patrol officer in the leg.
- Abril crashed his car near Interstate 80 and continued to fire at officers, who returned fire and wounded him.
- Abril eventually surrendered and released Patricia, who was also injured during the ordeal.
- Abril was arrested and booked into the South Placer Jail in Roseville on charges of murder, attempted murder, taking a hostage, being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony, assault with a firearm on a peace officer and assault with a firearm.
- He pleaded not guilty to the charges and denied the enhancement allegations against him during his arraignment on April 18. He was ordered to remain in custody without bail.
The Escape from the Hospital
- On July 6, Abril was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center from Auburn jail for an unknown medical issue. A source with knowledge of the matter told The Sacramento Bee on Sunday that Abril had been complaining of seizures.
- Around 3 a.m. on July 9, Abril escaped from the hospital while under 24-hour surveillance by Placer County Sheriff’s deputies.
- A deputy spotted Abril shortly after he escaped but lost him during a brief foot chase.
- Placer County Sheriff Wayne Woo said at a news conference on Sunday that he had “a lot of questions” about how Abril managed to escape and promised a “thorough investigation” into whether there were any policy violations by deputies assigned to guard him.
- The sheriff’s department later said in a statement that “we can confirm at some point, Abril was able to defeat his restraints” and that “our preliminary investigation reveals the deputy was not asleep during the incident.”
- More than 70 law enforcement officers from multiple agencies launched a massive manhunt for Abril, who was described as “a very dangerous fugitive.”
- Officials released surveillance camera photos showing Abril walking without a shirt and wearing orange pants or shorts. He had a tattoo on his left shoulder of ocean waves and bamboo.
The Capture in Rocklin
- On July 10, around 12:20 p.m., Abril was captured by authorities in Rocklin, California, about six miles from where he escaped.
- He was spotted in a residential area near Sierra College Boulevard and Interstate 80 by Rocklin police officers who were assisting in the search.
- He ran into a creekbed behind some houses and hid under some bushes, where he was surrounded by officers and taken into custody without incident.
- He was transported back to Auburn jail and booked on additional charges of escape from custody and resisting arrest.
- Placer County Sheriff’s Office announced his capture on social media and thanked the public and the media for their assistance.
Eric Abril Biography Profile
| Field | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Eric James Abril |
| Nick Name | N/A |
| Date of Birth | N/A |
| Birth Place | N/A |
| Age (as of 2023) | 35 |
| Gender | Male |
| Zodiac sign | N/A |
| Profession | N/A |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | N/A |
| Home Town/State | N/A |
| School | N/A |
| College | N/A |
| Educational Qualification | N/A |
| Religion | N/A |
| Hobbies | N/A |
| Marital Status | N/A |
| Boyfriend/Girlfriend | N/A |
| Net Worth | N/A |
Some additional facts about Eric Abril:
- He is accused of shooting and killing James MacEgan, 72, of Roseville, and taking his wife Patricia hostage at Mahany Park in Roseville on April 6, 2023.
- He also wounded a California Highway Patrol officer and was injured himself in a shootout with police.
- He pleaded not guilty to charges of murder, attempted murder, taking a hostage, being a felon in possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm with intent to commit a felony, assault with a firearm on a peace officer and assault with a firearm.
- He was taken to Sutter Roseville Medical Center from Auburn jail on July 6, 2023, for an unknown medical issue.
- He escaped from the hospital on July 9, 2023, around 3 a.m., after defeating his restraints and eluding a deputy who was guarding him.
- He was captured on July 10, 2023, around 12:20 p.m., in a residential area in Rocklin, California, after being spotted by law enforcement.
- He has a tattoo of ocean waves and bamboo on his left shoulder.