Murder suspect escaped from Oregon courthouse after security officers unshackled him in courtroom, while leaving easy escape route wide open

Ed Villalobos, 28, was scheduled to stand trial on February 27, for allegedly stabbing his mother’s partner and another unrelated man 

Security footage from the Washington County Courthouse shows that after sheriff’s deputies unshackled him, Villalobos then went on the run for two hours

Villalobos was only found hours later when a resident reported that a man was trying to break into an apartment

The suspect is accused of stabbing Artemio Guzman-Olvera, 33, whom his mother was dating, in April 2021

About two hours later, Villalobos had stabbed Saul Antonio Ramirez Aguierre, 26, at another apt complex 

Surveillance footage shows the moment a murder suspect ran out of the Washington County courthouse in Oregon, after sheriff’s deputies unshackled him.
28-year-old Ed Villalobos was scheduled to stand trial on February 27, for allegedly stabbing his mother’s partner before knifing an unrelated man just two hours later and leading police on a pursuit that lasted hours, back in 2021.
After he was into the courtroom, a sheriff’s deputy unshackled the defendant’s wrist and ankle restraints as required under Oregon laws. Villalobos stood up, pushed a chair in and made a run for it.
He crashed through the door into the hall, and burst past the Staff Only doors.

Deputies had left a clear, obvious route of escape, and police only caught up with him after a two-hour long manhunt when someone reported that a man was trying to break into an apartment.
Villalobos is now back in custody, and will face additional charges for his attempt to flee.

Security footage from the Washington County Courthouse shows two sheriff’s deputies, a man and a woman, leading Villalobos down a hallway to the first-floor courtroom where his hearing was scheduled.
Once inside, the male deputy pats him down and removes his wrist shackles, after which Villalobos takes a seat so the deputy could remove his ankle restraints as well.
‘When it comes to removing the restraints, that’s what Oregon law requires us to do,’ the Washington County Sheriff’s Department later said in a statement. 

Once the sheriff’s deputy unshackled Villalobos, the defendant stood up, pushes in a chair behind the table where he and his lawyers would have sat for the trial and sprints out the courtroom.
He makes his way through the door as the male sheriff’s deputy follows just few feet behind him, with the female officer in tow.
As he makes his way into the hallway, Villalobos increases the distance between him and the officers, who are still following him on foot, and seems to jump in front of a woman about to open the door to the outside.
Villalobos nearly tackles a man as flees through the Staff Only door, which he slams behind him.

The courthouse surveillance cameras show a male sheriff’s deputy could be seen in the footage unshackling the suspect’s wrists.
Villalobos then sat down so that the deputy could unshackle his ankle restraints as well, under Oregon law.
Once the sheriff’s deputy was finished, Villalobos stood up, pushed in a chair and ran out the courtroom at the Washington County Courthouse

It is unclear when the sheriff’s deputies lost track of him, but what followed was a two-hour manhunt through the town of Hillsboro, where police blocked off streets and even used a drone to track down Villalobos’ location.
KATU reports that someone eventually alerted deputies that someone was trying to get into an apartment in the 300 block of Southeast Fourth Avenue.
The owner said nobody was supposed to be inside, but when deputies searched the home they found Villalobos hiding in a closet underneath a blanket.
He was then taken back into custody, sheriff’s officials say, and a grand jury indicted him on charges related to his escape.
Villalobos’ trial has now also been postponed to a later date.
He is accused of stabbing Artemio Guzman-Olvera, 33, whom his mother was dating, in April 2021 and fleeing the scene in a car.
About two hours later, the Oregonian reports, Clackamas County sheriff’s deputies working for the city were called to an assault at an apartment complex, where they say Villalobos had stabbed Saul Antonio Ramirez Aguierre, 26. 

Aguierre was rushed to the hospital in critical condition in the aftermath, but ultimately survived.
About half an hour after the second stabbing, a police officer spotted Villalobos’ car and a police chase ensued.
At one point, the sheriff’s department said, he stopped, got out of the car and ran, but with the help of multiple law enforcement agencies, Villalobos was arrested and jailed. 
Two hours after his flight – from the courtroom – the owner of the apartment told deputies no one was supposed to be inside. Responding deputies found Villalobos hiding in a closet underneath a blanket inside the apartment.
A grand jury then indicted him on charges related to his escape, the sheriff’s office said.
His trial has been postponed until a later date.