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Rikers inmate makes it to roof in second escape attempt in a week
A determined Rikers Island inmate escaped to a jail roof Sunday morning, just three days after he was caught trying to swim away, sources said.
Arthur Brown, who was being housed at Rikers Island’s North Infirmary Command, was pulled down from the roof on Sunday around 9 a.m. after the failed escape attempt, according to sources.
The second headlinegrabbing escape attempt by the inmate in less than a week was extremely embarrassing for the the Correction Department, sources said.
Correction Commissioner Cynthia Brann is “livid” and “heads could roll,” a source told the Daily News.
“The incident is under investigation and there will be immediate staff suspensions if warranted,” said Peter Thorne, the Department of Correction’s top spokesman. “This detainee was quickly apprehended and returned to custody.”
A top-down investigation of how the inmate was allowed to get away twice is set to take place, sources said.
On Sunday Brown, 37, managed to get himself onto the roof of the three-story James A. Thomas Center, but not before guards spotted him and surrounded the building.
“We have eyes on him.,” a police unit said over the radio. “We have units attempting to help the perp.”
Photos obtained by the Daily News show Brown, shirtless, standing on the roof and crouching, looking over the edge at one point.
After he was nabbed, Brown was tied into a basket stretcher and lowered from the roof.
He was apprehended within 30 minutes of making it to the roof, sources said.
Brown, who authorities say is homeless, first tried to escape on Thursday by swimming through the Rikers Island Channel to Laguardia Airport, but was apprehended shortly after making it to the water.
He has been held on Rikers Island since May 7, 2019, after he was originally arrested for allegedly biting an NYPD officer in the hand after refusing a bag search at the Staten Island Ferry terminal in lower Manhattan, police said.
Two days later he was rearrested after he flung urine at a sergeant’s face while in custody, cops said.
On May 11, he was charged with punching and then choking out a fellow inmate, according to police.
Then on May 16, a bailjumping charge was filed against Brown for a court date he missed in Brooklyn in regards to a domestic violence case, law enforcement officials said.
Brown has eight prior arrests dating back to 2003 including assault, arson, larceny, domestic violence, menacing and criminal contempt.
While officers struggled to apprehend Brown, an elderly inmate died from pulmonary complications not linked to COVID-19, according to law enforcement officials.
“The death of any person in custody is a tragedy and the safety and well-being of people in custody is our top priority,” said Brann. “Our deepest condolences go out to the family of the deceased as they mourn the loss of their loved one.”