LOUISVILLE, Ky. — An inmate's escape led him right back to where he started -- in the back of a squad car.
Louisville Metro Police have found the escaped inmate who jumped from a police transport vehicle Thursday morning.
Video sent to WHAS11 shows 31-year-old Norman Wolfe hanging from the side of a police transport car during his escape on I-71 and I-265 in east Louisville.
Within minutes, he can be seen jumping from the car and running across lanes of traffic before disappearing into the treeline still dressed in an orange jumpsuit.
As officers responded to the scene, a Trimble County Kentucky Deputy Jailer said he was transporting Wolfe when he allegedly kicked out the back window of the unmarked police vehicle.
After jumping out of the police transport car, the arrest citation states Wolfe walked up a creekline and approached victim #1 at the 8500 block of Brownsboro Road while they were working in their garage when he asked them for bolt cutters.
The arrest citation says that the victim told Wolfe to get off their property. He ended up running away when the victim chased him while armed with a handgun, but they ended up dropping their gun.
Wolfe allegedly told the victim that he just escaped from a deputy and that he was armed with a handgun, but he had his hands under his shirt as if it were armed with a handgun.
According to the arrest citation, victim #2 heard what was happening and walked over. That's when Wolfe allegedly demanded that the second victim give him a ride in his truck.
Documents show Wolfe repeated to the victims that he just escaped the deputy and had taken the deputy's gun.
Wolfe then allegedly forced both victims to get into victim #2's truck and drive him to the area of River Road and Edith Ave, so they did.
The victims saw Wolfe's LMDC jumpsuit wadded up under his shirt when they dropped him off at his desired destination.
The two ended up driving back to victim #1's home where LMPD was called.
The victims told police the situation happened around 10:30 a.m., two hours after Wolfe has escaped, and they were found unharmed.
LMPD's Fugitive Unit, along with the LMPD SWAT, said they found 31-year-old Norman Wolfe in the passenger seat of a vehicle on Washington St. east of Campbell St. in the Clifton neighborhood.
Wolfe was spotted just feet away from Butchertown resident, Rebecca Lynn's house. She said it didn't come as a surprise and that her and neighbors were doing what they could to help in the search.
"We've been keeping tabs on him and looking out for him at every moment, then communicating that through a Facebook group," she said. "I was worried, aware and waiting."
LMPD was too. The culmination of the 48-hour man hunt came after the department deployed eyes in the sky and extra patrol cars canvasing the streets.
Officers said they made a traffic stop on the vehicle when the driver was ordered out of the vehicle and Wolfe slid into the driver’s seat and sped away.
"It was just a spare moment of panic. Everyone was looking around to see what was going on," Lynn said. "It all came to a big scene and then it carried on."
A short pursuit ensued, police said, and the vehicle was stopped near Brownsboro and Lindsay Ave.
Feeling safe, it appears residents could care less to hear about Wolfe's motives or plans as an inmate on the run
"The only answer that I want to see is he's locked up and not getting back out," Lynn said.
"I haven't really had a chance to process he was down here but overall, I feel safe," resident John Valentine said.
Wolfe was taken into custody and was taken to UofL Hospital, due to some previous injuries he acquired during his escape from custody on Thursday.
He is facing charges for escaping, criminal mischief, kidnapping, and robbery and will be taken to Metro Corrections when he's released from the hospital.
LMPD said the investigation will continue.
Wolfe will be arraigned on Monday, May 22 at 9 a.m.
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