A 31-year-old man who slipped out of handcuffs and escaped from the backseat of a San Bernardino County Sheriff’s patrol car was arrested in Las Vegas on Tuesday, authorities said.

Charles Brown, of Adelanto, was taken into custody in Nevada, about 200 miles northeast of Victorville, during a joint operation by the sheriff’s specialized enforcement team and the U.S. Marshals Service.

Mara Rodriguez, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department, said Brown was taken into custody around 5:30 p.m. in the northern part of the city.

Brown initially was taken into custody Sunday in Victorville on suspicion of transporting narcotics and was taken to the local sheriff’s station to be interviewed. But as he sat in the back of a patrol car, he managed to wriggle one hand out of the handcuffs and exited the vehicle, according to a Sheriff’s Department statement.


When deputies saw that Brown had escaped, they searched the area with assistance from a sheriff’s helicopter and a K-9 unit.

Brown will face additional criminal charges in connection with the escape from custody, authorities said.

ruben.vives@latimes.com

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