Murder suspect who escaped from California hospital once led police on a manhunt in SLO

A murder suspect who led police on a two-day manhunt after escaping custody at a Sacramento-area hospital had been arrested nearly a decade earlier in San Luis Obispo following a similar pursuit.

Eric James Abril was captured by Rocklin police at 12:30 p.m. Monday, ending a manhunt that began early Sunday morning when he fled from Roseville’s Sutter Medical Center. Roseville is a suburb northeast of Sacramento.

The arrest came after another massive effort by more than 200 law enforcement officers to find a man accused of executing a 72-year-old hostage at Mahany Park during an April 6 standoff with police.

Abril is charged with murder in that case, as well as with shooting the slain man’s wife in the arm and wounding a California Highway Patrol officer at the scene.

Abril, 35, was taken into custody near Antelope Creek behind 5855 Zion Court, according to radio traffic, following a night-long search for him by dozens of police officers who combed through rough, rocky terrain using dogs, drones and aircraft.

Police radio traffic tracked the pursuit and arrest as it unfolded.

“If you run, you will be shot,” an officer shouted over the radio as searchers located Abril. “You understand?”

“His hands are up,” the officer continued. “He’s listening to commands. He’s walking toward us. It’s confirmed it’s him. Tattoos on his arms, matches the description, orange pants.”

Word of his capture came from scanner traffic, and Placer County sheriff’s officials tweeted the news shortly after the arrest.

“UPDATE: Fugitive Eric Abril is in custody,” the tweet read.

Abril’s lawyer, Matthew Bockmon, learned of his client’s capture from The Sacramento Bee and expressed relief.

“I’m glad he’s safe,” Bockmon said. “And I hope nobody else is hurt.”

Murder suspect once arrested in San Luis Obispo

Though he has more recently been residing in the San Jose area, Abril had a previous run-in with law enforcement while living San Luis Obispo County.

In May 2014, Abril — then 26 — was arrested after allegedly attacking an employee at The Sub in downtown San Luis Obispo. (The business closed following a devastating fire the next year.)

According to the San Luis Obispo Police Department, Abril — who was living in Morro Bay at the time — allegedly kicked the employee in the head after he attempted to shoplift a fabric poster from the store and was caught.

According to a previous Tribune report, footage showed Abril began beating the employee, eventually kicking him on the ground. The employee later told their boss that Abril said, “This is what I do,” before running from the store.

The kick caused “significant facial injuries” to the employee, police said at the time.

Abril was later located during a search hiding in bushes in downtown San Luis Obispo, but then led authorities on a lengthy chase through a creek area.

He was ultimately taken into custody after hiding in a field.

Abril ‘didn’t try and run’ from officers in Roseville

Zion Court resident Bill Sanchez said he called 911 after he spotted an orange jail jumpsuit by the creek behind his house, then led officers through his garage toward Abril.

“I said, we got the guy, he’s got to be right here,” Sanchez said.

“He didn’t alert, didn’t try and run,” Sanchez said. “Standing there in his underwear.”

Residents who had watched as helicopters flew overhead and armored cars drove down their streets gathered as law enforcement took Abril — shirtless and appearing to have knees heavily scratched by the underbrush he had been hiding in — into custody.

Aeron Heath, 52, was visiting her 75-year-old mother on Zion Court when law enforcement caught Abril behind Sanchez’s house.

“They got him and pulled him up on the other side of the creek,” Heath said. “We heard them getting him and yelling. It was like yelling pain, like if you were hurting.”

Heath, 52, who drove down from Loomis, said there is access to the creek from her mother’s house, and she was terrified for the last two days that Abril would come to her residence.

“The thought of some psychotic killer running around, that’s terrifying,” Heath said. “My mom has lived here for 40 years, and there’s sheds and vehicles parked where there’s lots of hiding spots.

“Last night, I was here in the evening searching the property and making sure everything was safe, and I came early this morning to re-check. “The guns were so big. “We’ve never seen anything like that here before.”

Sheriff investigating how Abril escaped hospital

Abril escaped from the hospital — about 3 miles from where he was arrested Monday afternoon — shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday.

He had been in the hospital since Thursday for treatment of seizures and was supposed to be under 24-hour guard with a deputy present at all times.

Abril escaped by running down a flight of stairs as a deputy ran after him but lost him as he made it through the hospital doors. Placer sheriff’s officials said they were investigating how the escape happened, and said suggestions that the deputy had fallen asleep were not accurate.

“Our preliminary investigation reveals the deputy was not asleep during the incident,” sheriff’s officials said in a statement Monday before Abril was found.

An internal investigation has begun to determine what occurred leading up to Abril’s escape, and this investigation confirmed, at some point, that Abril “was able to defeat his restraints,” sheriff’s officials said.

The Bee’s Molly Jarone and Paul Kitagaki Jr. contributed to this story.