Inmate who escaped from Houston courthouse amid brawl in nearby courtroom captured

An inmate who escaped from a Texas courthouse after a brawl erupted in a courtroom is back in custody, according to the Harris County Sheriff's Office (HCSO).

Michael Devon Combs, 32, freed himself from leg irons before fleeing from the 176th courtroom around 10 a.m. Tuesday, HCSO said. He was apprehended again Thursday morning. 

Mark Lipkin, Combs’ attorney, said he was in the holding area with Combs and had spoken with him just before his escape.

"I had my back to him when everything happened. I mean, if I were just able to give him some advice, I would have told him it’s not smart to do that. Don’t do it," Lipkin told The Associated Press.

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Combs was reportedly awaiting a hearing in which his bond was set to be revoked after he allegedly turned off a GPS monitor and failed to pay court fees, according to the New York Post. A judge was expected to issue a new, higher bond amount. 

Combs had been accused of assaulting his girlfriend, including choking her, in March 2022.

As deputies responded to a brawl in a nearby courtroom between the family of a 16-year-old girl who was shot in the back 22 times and the murder suspect who was accepting a plea deal, Combs allegedly used the opportunity to slip away

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Frank DeLeon Jr. was appearing in court to plead guilty in the case of the 2022 fatal shooting of his 16-year-old ex-girlfriend, Diamond Alvarez.

The fight erupted after Alvarez's mother, Anna Machado, called DeLeon a "monster" during her victim impact statement, FOX 26 Houston reported. Video from the courtroom obtained by the local station showed Machado leaving the stand and walking toward DeLeon when a bailiff restrained her. Another family member was then seen charging at DeLeon and throwing a flurry of punches, as both men endedup on the ground. Machado’s mother and DeLeon’s mother were also involved in a scuffle. 

Court security intervened and separated the families.

"So, once they hit the panic button, then the deputies left out to go assist and he was sitting there. Somehow, in some kind of way, he got out of the shackles and walked out of the courtroom, got on the elevator, and walked out of the building. Once he got out of the building, he took off his ankle monitor," HCSO Major Lynette Anderson said of Combs to local TV station KPRC.

A task force was mobilized to locate and apprehend Combs, who will now face an additional felony escape charge, FOX 26 Houston reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.