California felon escapes custody by casually walking away from low-security work site

Fugitive at large: A 35-year-old felon prisoner, Santiago Duran, has escaped from custody after he was sentenced to 10 years in prison for a violent domestic dispute involving guns and police. The escape was in a most unexpected manner when Duran simply walked away from his assigned work area within the Julius Klein Conservation Camp, a low-security facility in the Los Angeles suburb of Azusa.

The incident was confirmed in a statement from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. According to the official statement, sometime before 2:45 p.m. Monday, prison officials were made aware of Duran’s departure. The statement does not provide any further details on Duran’s escape, instead simply describing the incident as him “walking away” from the camp.

“Staff immediately initiated an emergency count, confirming Duran was not at the camp. Within minutes, agents from CDCR’s Office of Correctional Safety were directed to locate and apprehend Duran and notification was made to local law enforcement,” according to the press release.

Duran, who was jailed following a run-in with police in Porterville, California, in 2022 after a domestic disturbance report, had completed about 18 months of his sentence. He made a daring escape while working at a work site, a 125-bed facility housing low- to medium-security prisoners, Your Central Valley, a local CBS affiliate, reported.

There have been past breakouts from the work site where prisoners are assigned various duties ranging from maintenance to groundskeeping. In July 2023, another inmate, Evan Chezick, escaped from the facility but was arrested five days later after a home invasion.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says 99% of escaped prisoners are caught again.

Police are asking the public to be on the lookout for Santiago Duran. He was last seen wearing gray sweatpants and a white, long-sleeved thermal shirt. Duran is described as 5’7″ and weighing 172 pounds with brown eyes, black hair, and multiple tattoos.

UPDATE: The fugitive at large, Santiago Duran, was found and arrested on January 7, 2025, by California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) officials.