Law enforcement asking for help to find man who escaped court room during sentencing

Law enforcement is asking for help to locate 35-year-old Jerel Valdez Martin, who was in court being sentenced, when he escaped on Tuesday morning.

A judge had just sentenced Martin to 60 months in prison for a case involving felony possession of ammunition or firearms, and while prosecutors approached the bench, a woman who came with Martin gave him his phone despite deputies asking her not to do so, the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office said.

The deputies and Martin then got into a “physical altercation” after they asked him for the phone, but Martin was able to get away and run out of the courtroom.

The sheriff’s office says he wasn’t wearing a shirt or shoes when he escaped, and a warrant is out for his arrest. He was not in custody at the time of the sentencing hearing.

If anyone sees Martin or knows where he is, call 911.

He is described as a Black man with black hair who is 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 135 pounds.

The post Law enforcement asking for help to find man who escaped court room during sentencing first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.