U.S. marshals deputies have joined the hunt for the teenager who severely beat a corrections officer and escaped the New Beginnings youth center Monday.
Since the breakout, authorities have spotted 18-year-old Travon Carey in Southeast Washington, but he was able to outrun the pursuit, police said.
Members of the National Capital Area Regional Task Force are asking the public to help track him down before anyone else gets hurt.
“Hopefully, we can put a lot of heat on and someone will come forward with information,” said Christopher Coles, a D.C. police detective and member of the fugitive task force.
Authorities said Carey and another teenager pummelled 20-year corrections veteran Sylvester Young. The officer lost consciousness and Carey took his keys, grabbed a ladder, threw a jacket over the razor wire and scaled the fence. The other teen stayed behind.
Carey drove Young’s black car straight to the Barry Farms neighborhood in Southeast Washington where Carey lived, authorities said. The stolen car was found around 11 a.m. at the top of the hill in the 2600 block of Birney Place near Pomroy Place.
A short time later, a beat cop recognized Carey and gave chase, but the teenager was able to get away.
It was the first breakout at the $46 million facility since several youths escaped in the days immediately after it opened two years ago, embarrassing city officials. The 60-bed facility in Laurel replaced the infamous Oak Hill Juvenile Detention Center and houses some of the District’s worst juvenile offenders.
Law enforcement officials who asked not be identified said Carey had been in custody for theft and burglary charges since last summer and only had 14 days left before his release. Because he recently turned 18, he’s likely headed to the D.C. Jail on the new charges.
Carey is described as a black male, 6 feet tall and 160 pounds.
Anyone with information about Carey’s whereabouts can call U.S. marshals at 800-336-0102 or 301-481-1717.
Tips from readers of The Examiner have led directly to the arrest of 28 fugitives
The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, run by the U.S. Marshals Service, is composed of 30 federal, state and local agencies from Baltimore to Norfolk.
-Scott McCabe
