California manhunt underway for San Quentin escapee

Dec. 27 (UPI) -- A manhunt is underway in California for a 21-year-old man who escaped from San Quentin State Prison, authorities said Thursday.

Authorities believe Shalom Mendoza carjakced a sport-utility vehicle near the prison to make his getaway, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a statement.

Officials said Mendoza escaped sometime Wednesday and was missing from a head count at 9:35 p.m.

San Quentin, one of the United States' most secure prisons, is located about 15 miles north of San Francisco in Marin County.

Mendoza was convicted of using a deadly weapon during a previous carjacking and evading a police officer while driving recklessly. He started serving his five-year prison sentence a year ago.

Since 1977, 99 percent of all offenders who escaped a California state prison have been recaptured. San Quentin is the oldest prison in California and has 4,200 inmates and 1,870 employees.