After five days on the run, escaped murder suspect Shane Pryor, 17, was captured by the United States Marshal Service in Philadelphia on Sunday, according to police.
Police said the teen was taken into custody by officers in the Marshals office after he was pulled off a SEPTA bus at 3rd Street and Roosevelt Boulevard without incident. He was then transported to the PPD Homicide Unit.
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Pryor escaped from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) in University City on Wednesday. He was being taken there to be treated for a hand injury and escaped from the escorting staff during transport, according to investigators.
Philadelphia police officials said the media and public played a role in Pryor being captured.
Pryor -- who was charged as an adult in a 2020 homicide -- was not in handcuffs or shackles when he escaped, authorities said.
"We can confirm that an internal investigation is being conducted. As part of the investigation, relevant policies, procedures, and practices will be reviewed and a determination made as to whether changes are warranted," a spokesperson with the Philadelphia Department of Human Services, which oversees the Juvenile Justice Services Center, said.
Following his capture and arrest, Pryor was charged with aggravated assault, hindering apprehension, escape, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person in connection to his escape, the District Attorney's Office announced Monday.
He was also charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, simple assault and recklessly endangering another person in connection to an incident on Jan. 9, 2024, in which he allegedly attacked a teacher at the Juvenile Justice Services Center in Philadelphia, officials said.
How the U.S. Marshals captured Shane Pryor
Pryor was on the loose for five days before being captured. On Sunday, Supervisory Deputy U.S. Marshal Robert Clark provided a detailed timeline of how the U.S. Marshals were able to capture Pryor.
On Jan. 24, at 11:51 a.m., Pryor escaped from his escorting staff at CHOP.
At 11:55 a.m., Pryor entered the lobby of the Hub for Clinical Collaboration building at CHOP. Investigators said Pryor asked an employee at the desk if he could use her cellphone but the employee told him no.
At 11:57 a.m., Pryor asked a civilian woman on Civic Boulevard if he could use her phone to which she said yes, according to investigators. Pryor then called his associate, 18-year-old Michael Diggs, and asked him to pick him up, officials said.
At 12:29 p.m., Diggs arrived on the 3500 block of Civic Boulevard in a Ford Fusion, investigators said. Pryor entered the vehicle which left University City, according to officials.
At 1:13 p.m., Pryor and Diggs were captured on surveillance video at a corner store at the intersection of Mascher Street and Godfrey Avenue, officials said.
At 2 p.m., Pryor and Diggs left the area inside the Ford Fusion, according to Clark.
At 3 p.m. Diggs dropped Pryor off on the 1100 block of East Upsal Street, Clark revealed at a press conference on Sunday after Pryor's capture.
At 6:38 p.m., Philadelphia Police pulled over the Ford Fusion on the 200 block of East Logan Street. Investigators said Diggs was inside the car but Pryor was not. Diggs was then taken into custody for questioning.
On Thursday, Diggs was charged with hindering apprehension, escape, use of communication facility and criminal conspiracy.
Clark then provided new details as to the whereabouts of Pryor during the days he was on the loose.
On Jan. 25., at 10:20 a.m. there was a confirmed sighting of Pryor on the 4300 block of Marshall Street, according to Clark.
At 11:40 a.m. that same day, the escaped teen was seen on video at 8th and Bristol streets inside a corner store.
On Jan. 26. at noon, Pryor was seen on surveillance video purchasing pants inside of a Target along the 7400 block of Bustleton Avenue, Clark shared on Sunday.
The 17-year-old had on the same clothing he was seen in previously. An employee called in the tip that Pryor was seen at the Target which led U.S. Marshals there.
Clark said there were no sightings of Pryor on Saturday.
On Jan. 28., Clark said they had credible information that Pryor was going to be back in his home area near 8th and Bristol streets.
Around 6:30 p.m., one of those officers saw Pryor at 9th Street and Roosevelt Boulevard. By the time they got over there, Pryor had boarded a SEPTA bus heading north on the Boulevard, according to investigators.
U.S. Marshals pulled over the SEPTA bus at 3rd Street and Roosevelt Boulevard, removed Pryor from the bus, confirmed his identity and arrested him without incident.
"Our goal was to shrink his world, cut his associates off and that's exactly what we accomplished today," Clark said.
During Pryor's arrest, a thorough pat-down was conducted and a handcuff key was found on him, according to Clark.
Clark said handcuff keys are easy for anyone to get one from Amazon or a store.
Pryor is charged as an adult in a 2020 homicide, officials say. He has spent the last three-and-a-half years in custody waiting for a trial.
“Quite simply I think he was desperate. He was desperate. We had cut his resources off. We had forced him to go places probably because we cut all those resources off. I don’t think he had a choice," Clark said.
Further, Clark shared that they are aware of there being more associates of Pryor who helped him when he escaped.
“This escape investigation is still being conducted. There’s a very good chance you’re going to be prosecuted. We know who a lot of the players are here. We know a lot of the people that were assisting him. And we may not have stepped to them yet because we wanted them in play. But there’s a good chance some of them might be prosecuted," Clark said.
When Pryor escaped from prison staff at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on Wednesday, the NBC10 Investigators looked into his open murder case and why it has taken so long to go to trial.
A judge recently denied Pryor's request to be tried as a juvenile, and his lawyer now thinks that may be why Pryor escaped.
"Okay, if you're innocent, don't have your fight from the streets, have it in the court room," Clark said.
Pryor was just 14-years-old when police said he shot Tanya Harris in the head and killed her in a rear alley along Torresdale Avenue, according to court documents.
A court affidavit goes on to say that Pryor claims he is innocent and, instead, it was the other juvenile that he was with who shot Harris.
"I have heard the family of Shane Pryor claiming his innocence for the murder which he has been charged," Clark said. "However, it is my contention, that flight is an indicator of guilt."
But, in that case, officials said Pryor's statement to police conflicted with video evidence taken at the scene, so they charged him with murder and related offenses.
“I'm glad he was taken into custody without incident and is safe. Now the focus can return to defending him in court," Pryor's attorney Paul DiMaio said.
Clark notes this is the seventh escape investigation USMS has had in the past year.
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