Jimmy glanced at the two people lying there, both dressed in emergency doctor uniforms, the prisoner was not in the ambulance.
Jimmy contacted the dispatch center to arrange for an ambulance nearby to come for emergency aid. He was trained in first aid, but now was not the time for him to perform it. There were still two prisoners unaccounted for, and if they were nearby, they could emerge while he was administering aid, putting three lives at risk.
Jimmy stepped out of the ambulance and looked around. This was on the very outskirts of the city, the suburbs of the suburbs, with houses scattered sparsely along the road. He did not see the distinctive orange of the prison uniforms, and it was unclear when the collision had happened. They could only search nearby, but fortunately, the dispatch center had already arranged for LRPD to set up a perimeter, so there should be enough time to conduct a search within the area.
Driving slowly along the roadside, Jimmy activated "Heart Eye" to barely make out the situations inside the roadside houses. Because he did not turn on the siren, only the flashing police lights as he drove slowly, he did not disturb the people in the surrounding houses. People observed through "Heart Eye" were mostly carrying out normal activities at home, some moving in rooms, others sitting on chairs or sofas, appearing to present no issues.
Suddenly, Jimmy spotted a flash of orange. The color of the prison uniform was significantly different from everyday clothing, and even though it was just a small patch, the contrast with the surroundings was stark, showing just a small corner peeking out from behind a house.
Jimmy rescanned the house and backyard with "Heart Eye," confirming there was only one person inside, presumably watching TV on the sofa.
Without alerting the person inside, he continued to survey the surroundings. Jimmy returned to the patrol car and informed the dispatch center to deliver pictures of the two prisoners to his location.
Before confirming whether the person inside was a prisoner or a resident, it was best not to disturb them. If they managed to dodge the search by switching places, it would be much more difficult to find them later.
After waiting a few minutes, a police car quietly pulled up without blaring sirens, just flashing its lights. An LRPD officer got out and handed Jimmy two A4 papers with enlarged photos, including both frontal and side profiles, with names and heights noted below.
Jimmy memorized the appearances of the two men and walked to the side of the front door, then knocked.
"Plaskey County police, please open the door."
"One moment." Footsteps came from inside, and Jimmy could see someone getting up from the sofa to come to the door.
The door opened a crack, held by a security chain, not fully opened. A middle-aged woman looked out from the gap in the door, and Jimmy and the LRPD officer shifted slightly to let her see both of them.
"Hello, ma'am, we are pursuing two escapees. One of them was seen with clothing found outside the corner of your house. We need to confirm if you have seen these two individuals."
Jimmy showed her the two A4 sheets of paper.
"I haven't seen them, I've been watching TV in the house."
"May we come in to take a look? For your safety."
"Of course." The woman unlocked the security chain to let Jimmy and his colleague in. They quickly checked the house, including the bedrooms, ensuring no one was there. Of course, Jimmy had already confirmed this, but they still had to go through the motions, especially with another LRPD officer present.
"Thank you, please make sure your doors and windows are secure."
Jimmy and the LRPD officer left the house, got back into the patrol car, and called the dispatch center to check the position of the K9 unit. When the K9 car arrived, they led it directly to the location of the prison uniform. Earlier, Jimmy had not picked up the clothing himself, waiting instead for the police dog to use it as a scent marker.
The search became focused with the police dog leading the way. It was clear the prisoners had fled in a straight line toward the south, evidently familiar with the surroundings of Little Rock. Just two more blocks and they would reach the outskirts of the town, where vast woodlands lay, providing a clear escape route.
After tracking for a while, the K9 suddenly veered toward a door, barking aggressively.
Jimmy immediately looked toward that house. Inside, someone heard the dog's barking and ran toward a back door on the other side. No question about it, it had to be one of them.
"Surround the house," Jimmy shouted as he ran toward the back door from the side. The K9 and its handler were at the front door, with the K9 officer knocking and LRPD officers with drawn guns standing beside them watching the front door.
"Don't move, put your hands up, I'm going to shoot," Jimmy yelled at the back door while chasing after the person who was running. The distance was only a few meters, and because he had anticipated their move, Jimmy kept up the pursuit without pausing.
At the sound of Jimmy's voice, the K9 officer and LRPD headed straight for the back of the house where they saw Jimmy in pursuit and immediately released the K9.
The K9 was extremely effective; it ran faster than Jimmy, chasing after the person ahead.
The K9 pounced on the person in front, biting into the clothes and hanging on. Well, it should have gone for an arm or a leg, but the bite was a bit off in the running; fortunately, it didn't miss completely.
With the help of the K9, Jimmy caught up to the person and tackled him to the ground, while the K9 still clung onto the clothing without letting go.
Jimmy pinned the person down, took the handcuffs from his belt, and secured his hands behind his back. The K9 officer also arrived, pulling back the K9 while Jimmy pulled the person to his feet; indeed, he was one of the suspects.
"Clinsman Tansend, you are under arrest. Mate, bring a patrol car over, lock him up first; we'll look for the second person," Jimmy said.
Jimmy instructed the LRPD officer who was last on watch to return to where the patrol cars were parked and drive one over. Today's task was half done, with only one person left to find.
The good news was that none of the officers surrounding the streets had reported any sightings of the suspect, so theoretically, he was still within these few streets.
After locking the suspect in the back seat of the LRPD patrol car, Jimmy and the K9 officer also started heading back to the cars, resuming their search on the street; ahead they could see other patrol cars slowly advancing, indicating that backup was almost all in place.
Police prioritize tasks in order; first, they block off the area, then additional manpower enters to search. Usually, multiple officers work together. Jimmy's situation was an exception; as a county police officer transporting the suspect, it was normal for him to enter the restricted area alone before others arrived.
Now, with two people and a K9 by his side, he could not simply go off alone to search; he had to coordinate and patrol with them.
No suspects were found in the open areas between the streets and houses, nor were there signs of doors or windows being broken in houses along the roadside. Rather than stopping to knock on each door, Jimmy's group chose to make an initial sweep of the streets. Only if they found no clues would they conduct a house-to-house search.
While patrolling the streets, Jimmy suddenly noticed a broken glass on a house door—a major clue. He used his walkie-talkie to inform the K9 officer and LRPD officer, and the three officers and dog immediately surrounded the place.
Jimmy had spotted two people inside the house; one was in the living room, and the other was in a bedroom, sitting on the bed, leaning against the headboard.
Jimmy gave signals to the other two officers, continuing to the back to cut off retreat, while the other two knocked on the front door.
"LRPD, please open the door."
The person in the living room turned to look at the front door but didn't move. The LRPD officer moved to the window beside the door. Since the curtain was drawn, no view of the interior was possible. They couldn't just break in without clear evidence of wrongdoing.
The LRPD officer stepped back and used his walkie-talkie to call the Sergeant to the scene, while Jimmy was already observing from the back of the house.
To his surprise, the house had no back door. Jimmy walked to the other side and discovered a side door which he gently pulled on, finding it locked.
Something was definitely off inside; the living room person was clearly hiding something—too afraid to make a noise even as the police were knocking at the door.
(Note: During the search phase, although Jimmy was young, he was indeed leading the search. The county police usually took charge when working with LRPD on a case—furthermore, with two service stripes already on his uniform, Jimmy was considered a senior Patrol Officer among his peers. Hence, the LRPD and K9 officers followed Jimmy's instructions under the circumstances. Similarly, had there been State Police on the scene, they would usually take charge unless someone of significantly higher rank was present. If the FBI was involved, they would typically assume control.)