Man slips from handcuffs in back of moving patrol car to grab deputy’s face, GA cops say

A deputy transporting a patient to a mental health hospital faced a “dangerous” predicament when the man escaped handcuffs and grabbed the deputy’s face, according to investigators in southeast Georgia.

It happened Friday, Jan. 31, as the suspect was being taken from a hospital in Camden to a mental health facility in Waycross, the Camden County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Camden is about a 40-mile drive north of Jacksonville, Florida.

“The subject managed to slip out of handcuffs and reach through the partition of the vehicle, grabbing the deputy’s face,” the sheriff’s office said. “The individual then began kicking the vehicle’s door in an attempt to escape.”

Investigators did not reveal how long the deputy’s head was gripped by the man, but he managed to pull off the road before colliding with any vehicles, officials said.

A “de-escalation” effort was staged in the parking lot of a Walgreens as the suspect sat in the back of a patrol car, officials said.

Deputies were able to “safely restrain the subject,” and the trip to Waycross was resumed, officials said.

The sheriff’s office didn’t report details of any injuries suffered by the deputy or the subject.