HOUSTON — UPDATE: The man has been taken into custody. Click here for the latest information.
A man whose bond was being revoked was able to escape a 19th-floor downtown Houston courtroom on Tuesday morning.
Officials with the Harris County Sheriff's Office said Michael Devon Combs, 32, simply walked out of the courthouse when a fight broke out in a courtroom down the hall.
It happened at the Harris County courthouse on Franklin Street downtown around 10 a.m. when a fight broke out during Frank DeLeon's murder trial.
As of 3:30 p.m., Combs still hadn't been found.
According to HCSO Major Lynette Anderson, when the fight broke out during DeLeon's trial, someone hit the panic button and deputies left the courtroom in which Combs' hearing was taking place.
When everyone left, Combs removed his shackles, got on an elevator and left the courthouse. He was also able to remove his ankle monitor, according to Anderson.
Officials said Combs was left unattended by deputies, which was not protocol for the situation. Anderson said someone should have stayed in the courtroom with him.
Anderson said the HCSO gang task force was searching for Combs, who was in court on charges related to assaulting his significant other. Officials said the HCSO Warrants Unit and the Gulf Coast Violent Offenders and Fugitive Task Force were also searching for him.
He was wearing a blue shirt and khaki pants when he escaped. Anderson said he also had other prior run-ins with the law and was considered to be "dangerous."
Here's the update provided by Anderson on Tuesday afternoon:
Anyone with information about Combs’ whereabouts is asked to call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 713-222-8477.