‘Three-Strikes’ Felon Escapes Into Air Ducts at Courthouse

A felon awaiting a life sentence under the state’s “three strikes” law broke out of the prisoner lockup and escaped into air-conditioning ducts at the Santa Monica courthouse Thursday afternoon.

As darkness fell five hours later, the 23-year-old prisoner was still missing and believed to be inside a crawl space in the building.

While police helicopters circled overhead, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department SWAT team blockaded the courthouse and studied the building’s blueprints in preparation for going inside the ducts to hunt him down.

A sheriff’s spokesman said that Joseph T. Taylor was brought to the courthouse Thursday morning for sentencing after his conviction for car-jacking--his third felony.

Under a controversial law passed by the Legislature and by voters in 1994, a three-time felon must receive a sentence of 25 years to life in state prison.

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But Taylor bolted before he could be sentenced by Santa Monica Municipal Judge Rex Minter.

“A deputy saw him disappear into a hole in the wall,” said Sheriff’s Deputy Angie Prewett. Deputies are responsible for guarding prisoners at the courthouse.

Prewett said Taylor kicked out a panel covering a 12-by-15-inch hole in the first-floor prisoner holding cell, which previously had been patched.

Taylor was spotted by Santa Monica police on the courthouse roof late in the day, but ducked out of sight before he could be captured.

Prewett said Taylor was wearing his jailhouse blue jumpsuit with a white T-shirt underneath at the time of his escape.