Texas fugitive caught in Denver after falling down 17-story trash chute

DENVER, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- Ouch. Actually, double-ouch.

A Texas fugitive who was wanted on bank fraud charges was captured in Denver after he plummeted 17 stories down a trash chute while trying to evade police.

Donnie Griffin escaped from federal custody last year and U.S. Marshals were able to track him down at the Glass House building in downtown Denver. When authorities approached his apartment on the 20th floor, Griffin made a daring escape.

“As we breached the door we noticed that the individual was scaling from his balcony on a sheet to the 19th floor, the floor below,” Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Kenneth Deal told CBS Denver.

Griffin ran out of escape options on the 17th floor and tried the only one he had left -- the trash chute. “You have to think that he’s extremely desperate,” Deal said.

After he was captured, Griffin was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries.

“He must have been desperate to get the heck out of the building, that trash chute is terrible,” said building resident Jeff Dams.

When authorities searched Griffin’s apartment, they found several law enforcement badges, but they haven’t figured out why he had them. “We’re going to have to take a look and see whether or not he was impersonating law enforcement officers and that may be one of the reasons why he took such efforts to elude arrest this afternoon,” Deal said.

[CBS Denver]