Idaho prisoner Skylar Meade at large after accomplice ambushed hospital, shot at Boise PD
A manhunt is underway for an Idaho prisoner and his accomplice, who police say shot three Idaho Department of Corrections officers during an ambush at a Boise hospital early Wednesday morning.
Skylar Meade, 31, escaped from Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center after his accomplice opened fire in front of the emergency room at around 2:15 a.m. as the officers prepared to transport Meade back to prison, the Boise Police Department said in a news release.
Two officers were struck by the unknown assailant – one is in critical but stable condition, and another has serious but non-life-threatening injuries. A third officer with non-life-threatening injuries was hit during an exchange of gunfire after Boise police officers arrived at the hospital.
Meade and the accomplice were last seen in a grey, four-door sedan, possibly a Honda Civic, with identification plates, BPD said.
"This brazen, violent, and apparently coordinated attack on Idaho Department of Corrections personnel, to facilitate an escape of a dangerous inmate, was carried out right in front of the emergency department, where people come for medical help, often in the direst circumstances," Boise Police Chief Ron Winegar said in a news release.
Police said the identity of the accomplice is not known. BPD and IDOC did not immediately return requests for comment.
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Police warn public to be on the lookout for 'armed and dangerous' suspects
Winegar warned the public to be on the lookout for the two suspects, and asked anyone with information to call 911 immediately.
“They are armed, dangerous, and have shown they are willing to use extreme violence in furtherance of their criminal activity," he said.
Meade was convicted of assault or battery with an enhancement for use of a deadly weapon in 2017 after he fired several shots at a sheriff's sergeant as he fled from a traffic stop during a high speed chase, according to the Associated Press.
He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, and was eligible for parole on Oct. 14, 2026, according to IDOC records.
Prison officials described Meade as a white male with brown hair and hazel eyes, 5-feet-6-inches tall and weighing 150 pounds. He has tattoos on his arms, chest, calf, abdomen and face.
The hospital has lifted a temporary lockdown that went into effect after the shooting, according to BPD.
The Ada County Sheriff's Office is investigating the officer-involved shooting. The Sheriff's Office did not return a request for comment.
Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center did not return a request for comment.
Contributing: Associated Press