Sheriff: Inmate ‘staged’ suicide attempt before escape, days-long manhunt

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) — A Rockdale County inmate who had been on the run since Monday was captured, the sheriff’s office said Wednesday.

Timothy Shane was found in an abandoned house at 9102 Morris Drive in Covington, according to police. Law enforcement was called to the area after Shane, who was considered “armed and dangerous,” was seen knocking on doors at around 1 a.m.

Officers tracked him down using video surveillance, including images that showed Shane at a grocery store southeast of Atlanta and recordings from home doorbell cameras. A helicopter crew and police dogs joined the search before he was ultimately found.

Initially arrested on Nov. 23, Shane broke out of Grady Memorial Hospital while in deputy custody. He had been taken to the hospital the day before after a suicide attempt, according to the sheriff’s office.

Rockdale County Sheriff Eric J. Levett said during a Wednesday press conference it is believed that Shane staged the suicide attempt.

“It’s my belief based on the information that was reported to us from interviews of the inmates that was in that cell as well,” Levett said. “It is also our belief based on resources that we’ve reviewed that there was no one that was involved in this, what I call to be staged suicide, cry-out that he done. We heard no conversations that we talked to that aided in this.”

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After escaping the hospital around 1:30 a.m., deputies said Shane stole an SUV that was parked in the area and crashed it at the intersection of Peachtree Street and Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard NE. The SUV’s owner said a gun was inside the car at the time.

During the incident, the SUV hit another car. The man inside the car said he has a long road to recovery and plans on pursuing legal action “against all parties responsible.”

Shane ran away from the crash, only to allegedly steal a silver Pontiac Grand Prix near Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Monday night, according to law enforcement. That car was later found at a Publix on Highway 155 in Henry County.

“At the time, we knew that inmate Shane had a history of fleeing and stealing vehicles which was a huge concern of ours once we learned that he had escaped from the hospital,” Levett said.

Levett said two deputies were originally assigned to watch over Shane while he was at the hospital, and during his escape, one deputy was reportedly overseeing custody of him.

A deputy was placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation, according to Levett. The deputies identity is not being released at this time.

Investigators also discovered that Shane requested an Uber to a home in south Rockdale County. Law enforcement had searched the house but didn’t find him.

Shane was initially arrested after he allegedly kidnapped a woman he used to date from her home, demanding $500. The woman said he was armed and drove her to various stores, ordering her to withdraw the money from an ATM.

Conyers police tried to pull him over on the highway, leading to a chase. At times, Shane reached speeds of up to 128 miles per hour, according to police records.

The chase led to a neighborhood, where dashcam video shows Shane hitting a tree and driving onto homes’ front lawns. He was taken into custody, and the woman was found inside the car with minor injuries.

At the time of his arrest, Shane had warrants out of Newton County for carjacking, armed robbery and gun possession.

Audrey Flournoy had ring camera footage of Shane at her door on Wednesday.

In the video, Shane asks for something to drink and to make a phone call.

“Basically, I was telling him we don’t have anything here for you, so you can go about your day because I’ve never seen him before,” Flournoy said.

Flournoy said she did not know Shane was an escaped inmate who was considered armed and dangerous at the time.

“It really shocked me then. I really couldn’t go to sleep until I heard they finally caught him.” Flournoy said.

Eureka Mitchell, who lives on Morris Drive, said Shane may have come to her house, too.

“I heard someone knocking at my door, but actually I didn’t get up,” Mitchell said. “About an hour, I woke up, and I saw all these police and stuff around.”

Mitchell said she feels safer now that he has been found and arrested.

“That’s great. That’s great, cause like I said, he was going from place to place, trying to get into people’s houses [and] getting cars,” Mitchell said.

This is a developing story. Return to Atlanta News First for updates.

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