A convict who escaped from prison nearly two months ago and has been the subject of an intense manhunt in Grand Canyon National Park kidnapped two women Saturday and slipped out of the park, officials said.
Convicted bank robber Danny Ray Horning got past two roadblocks with his hostages, British women who later were released unharmed, said Coconino County Sheriff Joe Richards. He didn't know how Horning got past the roadblocks.Horning, who is using "Rambo"-style techniques to stay free, forced the women to drive him out of the park in their rental car, said park spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge.
Horning tied the women to a tree near Red Lake, about 45 miles south of the park, Oltrogge said. She said the women, who were in their 30s, freed themselves and contacted authorities.
Police caught up with Horning in the rental car about 30 miles south of Flagstaff. After a 19-minute chase during which Horning fired one shot through the car's back window, he crashed the vehicle into a tree and fled into woods, said Coconino sheriff's Lt. Ron Anderson.
The new search was centered about 15 miles west of Mormon Lake, Anderson said. Horning twice previously eluded authorities in that area since he was first sighted in the state's high country May 27.
Horning, 35, escaped May 12 from a state prison in Florence by walking out the gates disguised as a state medical worker. He was serving four consecutive life sentences for robbery, kidnapping and aggravated assault. He also is a suspect in the slaying and dismemberment of a man in California.
Since escaping, Horning has hidden in the northern Arizona wilderness, taunting searchers with notes left in stolen cars and a burgled cabin.