Authorities have turned to the public for help as they continue to widen their manhunt for three inmates who pulled off a daring escape from the Central Men's Jail in Santa Ana, California.
Jonathan Tieu, 20, Bac Duong, 43, and Hossein Nayeri, 37, were all awaiting trials for unrelated violent crimes at the jail when they made their daring escape sometime on Friday, cutting through half-inch steel bars and rappelling from the roof by a makeshift rope.
Reward of up to $20k offered for info about 3 OC jail escapees. Tips to 7146287085 or dial 911 @OCSD #ocjailescape pic.twitter.com/Mm6bBHok5x— FBI LosAngeles (@FBILosAngeles) January 24, 2016
Law enforcement officials believe the men to be armed and consider them "highly dangerous."
Authorities are still trying to determine what help the three fugitives received, but they believe a fight that occurred at the jail around 8 p.m. Friday night may have been a distraction to aid their escape.
.@OCSD says "deputy was assaulted," in disturbance they believe might have been connected to #ocjailescape. pic.twitter.com/4cEYp3QTNd— Greg Lee (@abc7greg) January 25, 2016
On Sunday, the Orange County Sheriff's office posted several photos of the jail showing how the trio escaped. Clearly, the plan was a long time in the making and carefully thought out, Lt. Jeff Hallock said.
"We're talking about breaching, in some places, significant amounts of steel, rebar and metal," Hallock explained.
Cut steel screen where inmates made access to plumbing tunnel from tank 3/5 #ocjailescape pic.twitter.com/xXb8ukD4Y7— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSD) January 24, 2016
Roof area of CMJ where razor wire was compromised and is believed inmates repelled down to ground 4/5 #ocjailescape pic.twitter.com/IFf9p0CpMF— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSD) January 24, 2016
Makeshift rope made with linens, utilized in escape 5/5 #ocjailescape pic.twitter.com/rWDIkONtxA— OC Sheriff, CA (@OCSD) January 24, 2016
Officials have also turned to the local Vietnamese community where at least one of the men, Tieu, is believed to have gang ties. "There's people out there that know who these people are, who may have seen them. We're asking for phone calls, whether it's any piece of information you may have," Hallock said.
On Sunday, Tieu's mother spoke with KABC, pleading with him to turn himself in.
Despite the jail's proximity to the Mexican border, authorities say there's no evidence the trio have fled the country.
Sheriff's officials also released a video that purportedly showed the three inmates accessing a restricted part of the jail's roof during their escape, but the clip posted by officials is a 30-second blurry view of the roof -- the fugitives, as far as we can tell, are not at all visible.
Tieu had been held on a $1 million bond since October 2013 on charges of murder, attempted murder and shooting at an inhabited dwelling. His case is believed to be gang-related.
Nayeri had been held without bond since September 2014 on charges of kidnapping, torture, aggravated mayhem and burglary. He and three other men are accused of kidnapping a marijuana dispensary owner in 2012, driving him to a desert spot where they believed he had hidden money, and cutting off his penis, authorities said.
Nayeri fled the U.S. to his native Iran, where he remained for several months. He was arrested in Prague in November 2014 while changing flights from Iran to Spain.
Duong has been held without bond since last month on charges of attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and other charges.