Suspect Evades 3 Guards, Jumps Naked From 5 Floors Up

COLUMBUS, Ohio—A suspect who jumped from a hospital window Sunday was arraigned Monday on charges of robbery and assault on a police officer.

NBC 4’s Lauren Diedrich and Tom Brockman reported with the FAST FACTS Monday.
A man being evaluated at a hospital after an alleged violent episode evaded three police guards and jumped naked from his hospital-room window.

Maxwell Stevenson, 31, of Columbus suffered a broken pelvis in the jump, which was viewed by police as an escape attempt on the part of the man who had overcome handcuffs and Tasers in a Friday arrest. 

Stevenson was prevented from falling all the way to the ground when he landed on a lower level roof that broke his descent.

He was taken to Grant Medical Center for evaluation Friday after police said was physically violent with clerks at an East Side convenience store and the police who came to the clerks’ aid. 

Stevenson exhibited detached behavior and exceptional strength, according to police reports and witnesses.

NBC 4’s Lauren Diedrich reviewed surveillance tape from the Livingston Market, 1619 E. Livingston Ave., where Stevenson came in Friday morning and first asked the price of a lighter. 

Owner Aziz Khettab told Diedrich Stevenson began to talk about something else.

“He was like, ‘Where is the money? Where is the gun? Where is the money?‘ “ Khettab said.

Khettab and his employees tried to keep the man from going behind the counter, but he kept coming.

“I was like, ‘This guy is going to kill us,‘ “ Khettab said.

Even after police arrived and several Tasers were fired into his body, Stevenson kept going and even threw a stool at an officer before leaving the store.

He was arrested. At one point, though, he broke free from his handcuffs.

Stevenson was taken to Grant for an evaluation, and officials said he tried to escape by jumping out of a fifth-story window.

Three officers were standing guard and were able to subdue him.

The results of his evaluation at Grant were not known.

Stevenson was taken to more secure quarters at the Franklin County Jail.

Brockman reported officers will be required account for the procedures they followed for guarding the prisoner who was considered an escape risk.

Stevenson was arraigned Monday. His bond was set at $50,000.

A defense attorney said Stevenson suffers from bipolar disorder and was without his medication at the time of his arrest.

Stevenson was due back in court Friday.

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