Escapees wearing police uniforms kill guard in jailbreak from detention center

About 15,000 police and paramilitary officers in Heilongjiang province are searching for three fugitives who killed a guard and escaped from a detention center near Harbin on Tuesday.

Police issued a notice that Wang Damin, 35, Gao Yulun, 50, and Li Haiwei, 29, escaped from the center in Yanshou county at around 4:40 am.

Gao Yulun, Li Haiwei and Wang Damin (from left) are accused of killing a guard and escaping from a detention center in Yanshou, Heilongjiang province, on Tuesday.

According to Xinwanbao, a local evening paper, they were at the center awaiting trial in separate murder cases.

"My colleague was on duty in a sentry post 2 meters above ground when he saw three men wearing police uniforms," said a guard at the detention center who asked that his name be withheld. He was not on duty at the time but said he heard the account from the colleague.

The three escapees maintained a distance of more than 10 meters from each other. They wore uniforms that raised suspicions because they were all different.

The sentry on duty "said he shouted and fired a warning shot, and the three started to run and were soon out of range," the guard said.

He said the three were out of sight by the time other guards arrived.

Sun Lianyi, deputy captain of the Harbin Public Security Bureau's criminal investigation department, said one man wore a police coat during the escape, one wore a long-sleeved police shirt of light blue and the third wore a short-sleeved police shirt of light blue.

Thousands of officers have joined the search, said Jiao Zhixue, a publicity officer at the bureau.

The Heilongjiang Provincial Public Security Bureau said that anyone who provides tips leading to the capture of an escapee will receive 100,000 yuan ($16,200).

"The jailbreak exposes gaps in the management of the house of detention," said Hong Daode, a law professor at China University of Political Science and Law. "Some security measures should be strengthened."

Guards should separate criminals of different kinds during their detentions instead of holding them together, especially those facing charges on severe crimes, including murder, rape and certain violent or terrorist attacks, Hong said.

Meanwhile, when offenders are being questioned or meeting with their lawyers, guards should restrain them with handcuffs and leg irons and stay with them, he said.

"When an emergency occurs, police will use batons or guns to immediately stop it," Hong said.

Prosecutors who work at the detention center should also perform a supervisory role to prevent abuses of power, for example by police taking bribes or offering special favors to suspects, he said.

According to Wang Li, a lawyer from the All China Lawyer Association, an escapee who uses violence to break out of jail faces 10 years to life in prison.

If the circumstances are serious, such as killing or seriously injuring someone, he can get the death penalty, she said.

Contact the writer at zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn