He was in handcuffs, in the back of a police car, guarded by at least one officer, but Scott Foster still managed to escape just after 2 a.m. Thursday while in Stanford police custody.
Police Chief Laura Wilson with Stanford’s Department of Public Safety says a female officer arrested Foster for domestic violence just 30 minutes before his escape, a job that would usually be handled by at least two officers.
“In general, we usually do have two police officers with any one suspect. My understanding is that they were very busy last night and they actually had another person in custody, so the officers were getting ready to meet and have the prisoners transported in one vehicle.”
The department is conducting an investigation into whether the officer followed the proper protocol in processing prisoners, if not, Wilson says there will be disciplinary action.
She says this kind of an escape is exceptionally rare.
“I can’t recall an incident in my 20 years when this has happened before,” Wilson said. “And certainly not in the ten I’ve been chief.”
Dozens of officers immediately set up a perimeter. Palo Alto police joined the search, using their canines to track Foster’s scent. After four hours of searching, an officer found Foster just a mile from where he escaped. He is now in Santa Clara County Jail. In addition to the original domestic violence charge, he is now face two more for resisting and evading arrest.
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Foster and his significant other are not Stanford students, but police say he lives on campus with at least one of his parents who is a retired faculty member.
