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Stephen, you all right?
>> Stephen, there's a what?
>> I hear it up there.
>> Uh-oh.
>> When deputies in New Mexico arrest a
suspected con man, they're caught off
guard when he goes to extraordinary
heights to avoid jail.
>> Stephen, 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, Bernal Leo
County deputies arrive at the home of
60-year-old Steven Buyers, a man wanted
on multiple active warrants, including
lararseny, unlawful taking of a motor
vehicle, tampering with evidence, and
contracting without a license. They
catch him just as he's attempting to
leave.
>> Let me put my dog down now. Let me put
my dog down. Get down now.
>> Okay. Okay.
>> Get down.
>> Help.
>> Come get you.
>> 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 no weapons at all.
>> Can you just open the gate? Let me put
the dogs.
>> Let's sit you up to your your backside
there.
>> Okay.
>> Will they will they like listen to?
>> Yeah, they'll listen to me. Yes.
>> Send a boat.
>> Okay. Thank you. The deputies walk
Steven to a cruiser and search his
pockets, finding tinfoil and a small
tube containing 42 blue pills.
>> You open here.
>> Uh, in there. Yes.
>> What is it?
>> No.
>> Can you just please let me just put my
dogs up. I You guys got me cuffed. They
won't do nothing. Please, you guys,
please. Please.
>> Do you have leashes or something?
>> If If you just open the gate, I'll tell
them to go and they'll run back.
>> Lean forward.
>> There's only one problem. The gate is
locked and the keys are inside the
truck.
>> Are are they mean to
>> No, they're not mean at all.
>> Oh, that's the mean one, dude. Hey, it's
okay. It's okay. Hey. Hey. Oh, yeah. No,
I'm not.
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?
>> Cuz I was freaking out. I just needed to
just
>> 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. We
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 dog 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 difficulty
breathing and is transported to Love
Lace 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 anything stupid?
>> No. All right. No, we won't even cuff
you. We'll just walk over here. All
right.
This is ridiculous.
>> No, you're good.
[clears throat]
[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 asks 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.
>> Hear what?
>> Like a loud sound?
>> I don't think so.
>> All in there.
>> Steven, you all right?
Good.
I hear it up there.
>> Uhoh.
>> Can we?
>> Does security have a key?
>> Stephen, 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, the this door is locked. I think
he's
>> Yeah, he just fell through the ceiling.
>> Can't make this up.
>> Oh my god.
We need a we need a key to this door.
>> Security.
[clears throat]
>> We're in the ghetto.
>> How you doing,
>> Stephen? Get your out here.
>> Please note in the cat that my 16 is
trying to escape through the ceiling. I
love you.
>> 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.
>> Stephen,
you're not getting out, bro. Get your
down here.
>> He's moving that way.
>> He's moving that way.
>> Yeah, he's moving this way.
>> Fall through. Where are the lights,
Stephen? 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 this stuff in case
he came here.
>> I'm in like four rooms. 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, like straight down under where the
ladder is.
>> All right, here's that other 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.
>> He didn't make you go through all that.
>> Why would you do something like that,
dude?
>> Just got scared.
>> So now extra charges is worth it, bro.
>> No. Come on. Let's go. I'm not
>> I'm not violent.
>> I [clears throat] don't think you're
violent, but I got him right here.
>> I just got scared.
>> Got him. You got him. You got him.
>> Well, let me help you up.
>> 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.
>> You haven't detained.
>> We're okay.
>> I listen officer. You got my word.
>> No, I I don't really give by your word
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 probably Well, you saw where
I went through
>> here. back up so I can get behind you.
>> And then
>> Yeah, I have him
>> here. Use
>> He's climbing up.
>> He's going up.
>> Hey, man.
control.
>> Back up. Back up. Back up.
>> Step down. Turn around. Put your hands
behind your back.
>> All right.
>> Turn around. Put your hands behind your
back. Do exactly like I'm telling you
to. 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 ready, brother?
>> Yeah. Coming.
Tight fit
now. Like there's not many places you
can go.
All right.
>> Good.
>> Yeah.
>> Okay.
Careful.
>> Got it. You got it. Close.
Despite the nearfall, the deputy makes
it out safely.
>> You all right now?
>> Hey, S.
>> So, is him is he finished being
>> cleared?
>> They just gave him meds. They were
monitoring him for
>> heart issues.
Is that nitro? Wasn't apparent.
>> Yeah. Say you had diarrhea and then you
climbed through the roof. I don't
believe you now.
>> I did report.
She g me.
>> Yeah. Serge. 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 going to retire early because of
this
messtheloma. Can't breathe. [snorts] In
a Facebook post, the Bernal Leo County
District Attorney revealed that
60-year-old Steven Buyers 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 Love Lace Hospital, Steven
accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to
escape or attempt to escape from the
custody of a peace officer and two
counts of lararseny. He was sentenced to
4 years and 6 months in the New Mexico
Department of Corrections to be followed
by one year of parole. Watch our full
videos as they were originally made with
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