On today's body cam, we're checking out Manic Chase police in the most unexpected way. >> Steven, you all right? >> Get down. I hear it up there. >> Uh-oh. >> When deputies in New Mexico arrest a suspected con man, [clears throat] they're caught off guard when he goes to extraordinary heights to avoid jail. >> STEVEN! GET DOWN! He's in the ceiling. >> The following is based on official police records released to date, and some of the footage has never been seen before until now. On February 9th, 2024, Bernalillo County deputies arrive at the home of 60-year-old Steven Byers, a man wanted on multiple active warrants, including larceny, unlawful taking of a motor vehicle, tampering with evidence, and contracting without a license. They catch him just as he's attempting to leave. >> Get down now! >> Let me put MY DOGS DOWN. >> GET DOWN NOW! >> HEY, OKAY. >> Get down on the ground! >> On the ground! On the ground! >> Don't get up. >> Let me just put my dogs up, please. Let me just put my dogs up. >> You have any weapons on you? >> No, I don't have any weapons at all. Can you just open the gate, let me put the dogs in? >> Let me sit you up to your your backside there. Okay. Will they Will they like listen to you? >> listen to me. Yes. >> Stand up. >> Okay. Thank you. >> The deputies walk Steven to a cruiser and search his pockets, finding 10 foil and a small tube containing 42 blue pills. >> You need to open here? >> Mhm. >> Uh in there, yes. >> What is it? >> Uh fentanyl. >> God damn. >> Can you just [clears throat] please let me just put my dogs up? >> Hey, even a little bit of that stuff, man, you'll be sent to the afterlife. >> Oh, you guys got me cuffed. They won't do nothing. Please, you guys, please, please. >> Do you have leashes or something? >> Uh if if you just open the gate, I'll tell them to go, and they'll run back there. >> Lean forward. >> There's only one problem. The gate is locked and the keys are inside the truck. >> Are Are they mean dogs? >> No, they're not mean at all. >> Well, that's a mean dog, dude. >> Hey, it's okay. It's okay. >> Oh, yeah, no. I'm not going to do >> While some of the dogs are distracted, a deputy is able to quickly reach in and grab the keys, but they still need Steven's help getting them out of the truck and inside the gate. They decide to let him help if he's willing to cooperate. >> Here's what we're going to do. >> Yes, sir. >> Did you move your own cuffs to the front? >> Yes, I did. >> Why'd you do that? [snorts] >> Cuz I was freaking out. I just needed to just breathe. >> Okay, here's the deal. >> I couldn't breathe. I just >> So, number one, don't ever do that again. >> Okay. >> Number two, I'm going to let you keep them like that right now cuz we're going to go put the dogs in the yard. They already opened the gate, but I'm going to have you do it, okay? >> Okay. >> With Steven's cooperation, they're able to get his dogs safely inside. And while that's one problem solved, they're about to have an entirely new one on their hands. While in custody, Steven complains of chest pain and difficult >> Of course he did. >> breathing and is transported to Lovelace Hospital for treatment. There, staff administer nitroglycerin, a medication that can cause side effects including nausea. Eventually, Steven asks to use the restroom. >> No funny business. You're not going to try to take off on me or anything stupid? >> No. >> All right. Then we won't even cuff you. We'll just walk over here. >> All right. >> See, and that's the problem with sometimes you you give a you give someone an inch and they take a mile cuz we already seen from the front that, you know, he's going to try some funny business. But the cops are being very lenient when in reality there's a couple of times that would have already told you like no. I'm not I'm not letting you do nothing. Why? Because one, he's already been running from the from the cops to begin with, right? And then two, he tried to put his cuffs to the front. Well, not tried, he did put his cuffs to the front. So, these are already like indications that's like, okay, this guy is trying to come up with ways to run. Because then again, oh, I can't breathe. He's trying to prolong the process by going to the hospital. >> [snorts] >> For several minutes, Steven can be heard vomiting behind the bathroom door. He soon returns to the deputy's custody without incident, so there's little concern when he asked to go again. But it's during this next trip to the restroom that a strange noise catches a staff member's attention, signaling that things are about to take an unexpected turn. >> You know what? Like a I don't know, a long time. I don't think so. Officer, is he in there? Steven, you all right? >> He's in the vent. I hear it up there. >> Uh-oh. >> Can we >> Does security have a key? >> Trying to escape. >> Steven, get down. He's in the ceiling. >> Okay. Do you have a key? >> He's in the ceiling? Can we get him down? >> He's in the ceiling? Yeah, this door is locked. Yeah, he just fell through the ceiling. >> Oh my god. >> Just poke the tile out. >> We need a We need a key to this door. >> I'll get the security. Where in the ghetto? >> How you doing? >> Steven, get your ass down here. >> I'm just going to take a note that my 16-year-old is trying to escape through the ceiling at Lovelace. >> Hey, we're going to get you out of there. >> He's not doing very good. >> While hospital staff begin moving patients in case Steven falls through the ceiling, a member of security unlocks the bathroom door. Inside they find that Steven had overturned a trash can, using it to hoist himself up through one of the tiles. >> Steven! YOU'RE NOT GETTING OUT, BRO. GET YOUR ASS down here. >> He's moving up there. >> Got to be an escape charge. >> I was moving this way. >> He fell through where the lights are. >> Steven, you're just catching more charges, bro. Get your ass down. >> Once the commotion stops, they begin to fear he may have already found a way out. Maintenance brings in a ladder, allowing security to take a look around. >> We just moved some of his stuff in case he >> I mean like four walls. Can we add that to the charges? Like all this destruction. >> No, yeah, we are. >> Okay. >> Just got to get him first. >> Hoping that Steven may still be hiding, a deputy climbs the ladder to get a closer look. >> So, this drops down and the the like insulation is pulled out that he might have went down to the floor. >> Down right there? >> Yeah, [snorts] like straight down under where the ladder is. >> All right, he's out of the room. >> Let's see if I can get down there. >> Once the deputy reaches the ground, he quickly spots Steven crouched in the fetal position. >> That was stupid, huh? >> Yeah. >> I tried. >> Let's go. >> Ain't no way you going to go through all that. >> Why would you do something like that, dude? >> Just got scared. >> So, now what? These charges is worth it, bro? >> I'm going to ask him. that. think I'm not violent. >> I don't think you're violent, but >> I got him right here. >> I just got scared. >> Got him. He's got him. He's got him. >> Well, let me help you up. You want me to? >> Uh you're going to have to go first. >> He's right here with me on the other side of this wall. No. No. We're going to have to climb back up. >> Which if he was violent, this would be a very, very scary situation. Cuz there's you're trapped in there and it it it's you know, the bravery on these officers, you got to do what you got to do, right? That's what you sign up up for, but um damn, man. Shouldn't have let him out of your sight like that. Because typically when we did it in corrections before you continue if it may have to go to the bathroom or something like that or whatever, right? Um like let's say a case like this where like you're you take an inmate to the hospital and you're still like in the public, not like in a room or anything like that. Um you you can escort him or let's say he's got a doc doctor's appointment, dentist appointment, whatever, right? Uh like a outside hospital trip, uh outside uh trip. You would escort him to the bathroom, but you would crack the door a little bit and you would stand there. And you know, you don't necessarily got to stare at him, you know what I'm saying? But you're you're there monitoring that he is, you know, that you're keeping an eye on him. >> You have him detained? >> I'm okay. >> I >> Listen, listen, you got to move over. >> No, I I don't really give a [ __ ] right now. >> All right. Well, let me get up there. >> But he's going to have to climb up to you guys. >> Okay. >> It's about right Well, you saw what I I through. >> Come back up so I can get behind you? >> Um and then >> Yeah, I have him. >> Here. Now use >> He's climbing up. He's going up. >> Damn man. >> Back up, back up, back up. Step down, turn around, put your hands behind your back. >> All right. >> Turn around, [snorts] put your hands behind your back. Do exactly like I'm telling you to do. Do you understand? >> With Steven back in custody, it's now the deputy's turn to make his way out of the cramped space. >> You all right, brother? >> Yeah, coming. >> It's a tight fit. That was like how many places he can go. All right. >> You good? >> Yeah. >> Unbelievable. >> Okay. >> Careful. >> You got it. >> It's close. >> Despite the near fall, the deputy makes it out safely. >> You all right, man? >> Please rush. >> [laughter] >> So is him is he finished being >> Let me ask you >> cleared? >> They just gave him meds. They're monitoring him for something. >> Heart issues. >> It's that nitro. >> It wasn't apparent. >> Yeah, so he had diarrhea and then he climbed through the roof. I don't believe you now. >> I did scoop before. Excuse me, right. >> Yeah, sergeant. >> According to police records, hospital staff estimated approximately $20,000 in damage, including broken ceiling panels and pipes. After Steven was discharged, he was permanently trespassed from the hospital. >> I'm more tired because of this. Mesothelioma, can't breathe. >> [snorts] >> In a Facebook post, the Bernalillo County District Attorney revealed that 60-year-old Steven Byers had a criminal history dating back 30 years, including charges of fraud and forgery, as well as multiple criminal convictions. According to court documents, following the incident at Lovelace Hospital, Steven accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to escape or attempt to escape from the custody of >> I knew they would give him escape. >> a peace officer, and two counts of larceny. He was sentenced to 4 years and 6 months in the New Mexico Department of Corrections, to be followed by 1 year of parole. Watch our full video >> [music] [music]