COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A court hearing Monday provided new insight into the case of a prisoner who police said managed to break free of his restraints and jump from a hospital window.
Maxwell Stevenson was brought to court in a wheelchair because he broke his hip during the fall from Grant Medical Center, NBC 4's Lauren Diedrich reported.
The incident began when Stevenson was arrested Friday for supposedly refusing to pay for a lighter at an east Columbus store.
Despite being hit with a Taser gun several times, police said Stevenson fought back.
Stevenson's attorney said in court that his client suffers from bipolar disorder.
Sunday morning, police said, the 5-foot-11-inch tall Stevenson, who weighs 300 pounds, broke through his leather restraints and jumped from the fifth-floor window naked, landing on a roof where he was caught by three officers.
Hospital officials said that according to policy, officers are responsible for their prisoners at all times when they are patients.
Police said an investigation is already underway to determine what went wrong.
"We're going to look at the investigation to see if there is any other way we can do things better. Let's wait until the investigation gets done," said Sgt. Rich Weiner, of Columbus police.
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