He Flees Greyhound Station Handcuffed
TAMPA — The old “my bag is in the station” trick helped a Mexican immigrant, allegedly with multiple aliases, escape from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection bureau Wednesday morning.
It happened outside the Tampa Greyhound station about 8 a.m., said Steve McDonald, agent in charge of the Tampa Border Station. U.S. Border Patrol agents and Tampa police were looking for the man Wednesday evening, police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said.
McDonald gave this account:
An agent was at the bus station when he encountered a man he found to be an illegal immigrant.
The agent handcuffed the man and placed him in a patrol car. The man told the agent he had left his luggage in the station. The agent, whose name was not released, agreed to go inside and retrieve the bags. When he returned, his prisoner was gone.
“The agent went in to get the bags, which apparently didn’t exist,” McDonald said, “and while he was gone, the man kicked out the window of the patrol car and ran off.”
The man gave several names before escaping, still handcuffed, McDonald said.
“The name we think he uses most often is Amado Cruz-Diaz.”
He was carrying three Mexican birth certificates, two counterfeit immigration cards and two counterfeit Social Security cards, McDonald said. He is thought to be 21.
Having so many fake IDs, McDonald said, is unusual and alarming.
“It does not happen very often,” he said. “It raises concerns because of that.”
However, McDonald said there is no indication the man is dangerous.
He also is using the names Ernesto Guzman, Pedro Montejo and Armando Cruz-Dilla.
He is described as 5-foot-6, about 140 pounds, with bushy black hair and a slim build. He was wearing a black T-shirt and baggy jeans, police said.
McDonald would not comment on the agent’s behavior.
“Any time there is an incident like this, there is a review,” he said. “Beyond that, I cannot comment on what will happen.”
Reporter Valerie Kalfrin contributed to this report.
