Three Protecting officers were inflicted with gunshot wounds at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in the Boise Bench early on Wednesday morning as a result of an attack on Idaho Department of Correction employees, according to Boise authorities. The two attackers are still at large, according to the two suspects of the invasion.
At 2:15 a.m., Protecting officers were preparing to move detainee Skylar Meade, 31, from the hospital back to prison, when an unidentified suspect shot and attacked the officers in the emergency bay, according to a news release from the Idaho Police Department. One official is in” critical but stable condition”, and the other has” severe but non- lifestyle- threatening injuries”, authorities said.
One Boise agent shot an “armed person near the entrance” who turned out to be one of the Protecting officers when “replied to the medical information of an effective shooter,” according to the police. By the time officers arrived, the two suspects had already fled, according to authorities.
The IDOC commander who was shot by the police “was not significantly damaged and is receiving treatment for his traumas,” according to the authorities.
At a news conference on Wednesday, Boise Police Chief Winegar stated at a press conference that” we believe that this was a coordinated attack and ambush on the Department of Correction officers and certainly a planned effort to free ( Meade ) from custody.
IDOC employees took Meade to the doctor at 9: 35 p. m. Tuesday for care for self- suffered injuries, IDOC Director Josh Tewalt said at the event. The director declined to specify what kind of injuries, but police photos showed Meade with what appeared to be a bloody gash on his face.
Law enforcement continued to search for the suspects, who were “armed and dangerous” and traveling in a gray four- door sedan, possibly a Honda Civic with Idaho license plates, police said. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, violent criminals who have killed or seriously injured an officer in the line of duty issued a Blue Alert. Law enforcement has not yet identified Meade’s accomplice.
” There have been dozens of leads coming in all day and all night,” Winegar said. There are detective teams looking into these things.
The hospital was temporarily locked down while police searched the area, but it has since resumed normal operations, according to the police. Saint Alphonsus claimed that the hospital’s perimeter has increased and that all hospital entrances will be” closed and monitored” until further notice.
” All patients and staff are safe”, Saint Alphonsus said in its news release. The medical center campus is secure and secure, according to the statement.
In Twin Falls County, Meade has been found guilty of a number of crimes. He has been incarcerated since 2016 and was scheduled to leave in 2036, according to court records. He has been serving time for aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer with a firearm enhancement, according to the police. According to police, he also has previous convictions for grand theft, introduction of contraband, and felony possession of a controlled substance.
Idaho State Police described Meade as a 5- foot- 6 white man with brown hair and hazel eyes, with tattoos of a” D” on his right arm, a clown or skull face across his chest, and “product of my environment” written across his collarbone. Meade also had facial tattoos on his forehead and cheeks, according to updated photos from Boise police. Anyone with information contacted Ada County Dispatch at 208 377 6790, according to the police.
” I want to make sure that the public knows these folks are dangerous”, Winegar said. We do n’t think they pose a threat to the general public unless confronted or a person stands in their way to being apprehended. So we simply encourage people to dial 911 and let us use our unique tools, strategies, and training to deal with them.
Meade is a “documented gang member” with the Aryan Knights and has two tattoos relating to the group, including” AK” on his stomach and” 11″, for the 11th letter of the alphabet, on his face, Winegar said. According to the Anti-Defamation League, the Aryan Knights are a prison-based white supremacy gang that operates primarily in Idaho.
Boise police and the Department of Correction did not respond to the Idaho Statesman’s questions. Saint Alphonsus declined to provide additional information.
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