Man who escaped from La Tuna prison last year is caught in Denver after high-rise escape attempt

An inmate who once escaped La Tuna federal prison – and faked his own death – is back in custody.

U.S. Marshals say Donnie Griffin was captured this week moments after he fell 17 stories down a trash chute while trying to evade police in Denver.

He was bloodied and bruised when taken into custody on Wednesday.

“You have to think that he was extremely desperate,” Kenneth Deal, chief deputy U.S. Marshals, said.

Griffin escaped from La Tuna in 2013 and U.S. Marshals tracked him to his apartment in a glass house building in Denver.

“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,” Deal said.

After he was arrested investigators spent the rest of the day collecting evidence from the apartment and even found law enforcement items such as a U.S. Marshals badge inside.

Why Griffin had the items is unknown.

“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.

Griffin was taken to the hospital and treated for his injuries.