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Minneapolis police capture man who fled as jury read guilty verdict

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A 25-year-old who fought his way out of a Minneapolis courtroom as a jury convicted him of attempted murder was captured again Friday morning, police officials said.

Michael David Henderson was caught without incident about two miles from the Hennepin County Government Center, where he vanished Thursday after he was found guilty of attempted murder in connection with a March armed robbery, authorities said.

Jennifer Johnson, public information officer for the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office, told the Los Angeles Times that Minneapolis police officers found Henderson sitting in a car.

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He was captured without incident, according to Johnson, who said city police received a tip from someone who had spotted Henderson. Johnson said he did not believe Henderson injured anyone during his 16 hours of freedom.

Henderson burst out of the courtroom Thursday afternoon as a jury returned a guilty verdict against him, fighting off several sheriff’s deputies and escaping the building in a matter of three minutes, Johnson said Thursday.

One deputy suffered non-life-threatening injuries, Johnson said. Minnesota law enforcement agencies cannot keep defendants handcuffed or shackled in a courtroom, even in murder trials, without a judge’s order, Johnson said.

“The deputies did their job to the best of their ability. They tried to stop him and apprehend him; he was able to elude them, and one of our deputies was injured,” Johnson told The Times. “With any of these case,s we take a look back and review the incident and assess what we did well and see where there is room for improvement.”

Henderson is being held on a probable cause warrant, but will probably face additional charges for his escape and attack on the sheriff’s deputies, Johnson said.

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