Jamie Cooper escaped from a GEOAmey prison van after faking a medical emergency and ‘overpowering guards’ while on his way to court, fleeing on the M55
Escaped prisoner Jamie Cooper has been caught days after he faked a medical emergency and ‘overpowered’ prison guards while in a van being transported to court.
Cooper escaped from the GEOAmey prison van, which was taking inmates from Blackpool custody to Lancaster Magistrates Court, just before 9am on Wednesday. The van was travelling along the M55 near Preston when Cooper is said to have faked a medical emergency before overpowering guards in the van. The van pulled over on the M55 near Junction 2 to deal with an “on-board medical emergency” when Cooper made his escape.
Once the vehicle had stopped, guards attempted to provide medical assistance, but Cooper “overpowered and evaded” escort officers. A huge manhunt was launched in a bid to try and track down the prisoner as he went on the run. Cooper, 33, was found in Blackburn this afternoon.
Police tracked him down after a car, which had travelled from Bolton, was stopped by officers. He was arrested on suspicion of escaping from lawful custody and is now in custody. While on the run, there were numerous sightings of Cooper as police urged the public to help track him down.
Cooper was spotted across Greater Manchester and the wider north west. He was spotted in one video sprinting alongside the side of the motorway while looking back over his shoulder just moments after the escape.
An eyewitness described the sight of Cooper running through the undergrowth as “surreal”. The 33-year-old was caught on CCTV running from the scene shortly before 9am on Wednesday morning. Sightings of him over the next couple of days were made in Preston and Bolton.
Lancashire police have confirmed he was caught after being stopped in a car in Blackburn. A spokesman said: “Over the last few days Lancashire Police had asked for the public’s help to find wanted Jamie Cooper who absconded from a prison van on the M55 near Preston.
“At 8.54am on Wednesday 19th March, it was reported to us that Cooper had escaped from a GEOAmey van which was taking prisoners from Blackpool custody to Lancaster Magistrates Court. To update you, Cooper, 33, was found in Blackburn this afternoon after a car which had travelled from Bolton, was stopped by officers. He was arrested on suspicion of escaping from lawful custody and is now in custody.”
At the time of his escape Cooper was on his way to appear before magistrates to face charges of assaulting a police officer and criminal damage. Following his escape a spokesman for GEOAmey said he faked an “on-board medical emergency” and the van was forced to pull over.
They added: “The detained person involved in this emergency then overpowered and evaded the escort officers and escaped the vehicle.”
After his escape, there were sightings of Cooper across the north west, including Bolton, Preston and Blackpool. He was spotted on Thursday morning in Blackpool.
As part of their search, police shared CCTV footage showing Cooper in Preston on the morning of his escape, with a still photo from the video showing Cooper being escorted from police custody to the GEOAmey van.