Authorities are searching Saturday for three dangerous prisoners who escaped the Orange County jail lockup.
“The Sheriff’s Department number one priority in this is the safety of our community,” Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock said during a brief news conference at the department’s headquarters at 550 N. Flower St. a little after 9 a.m.
Hallock said authorities expect to have more information during another news conference scheduled for 4 p.m. today.
Inmates Hossein Nayeri of Newport Beach, 37, faced charges of kidnapping and torture; Jonathan Tieu of Fountain Valley, 20, faced a murder charge; and Bac Duong of Santa Ana, 43, faced a charge of attempted murder.
The inmates were last seen at 5 a.m. Friday at the Orange County Jail, according to Carrie Braun of the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. Officials did not discover the inmates were missing until about 9 p.m. Friday.
A search was conducted in the Central Jail Complex and Civic Center in Santa Ana but they were not found, Hallock said. The three were believed to have fled the area.
How they escaped has not yet been disclosed by authorities.
“We’re not ready to talk about how they escaped,” Braun said.
Anyone with information on their whereabouts was asked to call the sheriff’s department at (714) 647-7000, (714) 647-7014 or 911. Tipsters can also contact Orange County Crime Stoppers at (855) TIP-OCCS (847-6227). All tips can be made anonymously.
—City News Service