[Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department]- On Tuesday, Oct. 11, at approximately 4:30 a.m., deputies assigned to the Sheriff’s Court Services Transportation Bureau were preparing inmates at the Pitchess Detection Center- North County Correctional Facility for court.

Dozens of inmates were handcuffed together and led into a secure, walled-in bus sally-port area where the transportation bus is parked while the inmates are escorted onto the bus.

The deputies suddenly noticed the absence of an inmate one who had been handcuffed to three other inmates on a four person security chain. Assisted by jail deputies, they immediately began searching the secured bus sally-port for the missing inmate and found Inmate Gamaliel Martinez, clinging to the undercarriage of the sheriff’s transportation bus. Inmate Martinez had removed his blue jail shirt and was wearing a white T-shirt.

Inmate Martinez admitted he had formed a hasty plan to escape by slipping out his handcuffs and hiding under the bus. A jail made object possibly able to open the handcuffs was found nearby.

Inmate Martinez was returned to the maximum security jail facility where he will remain pending formal charges being filed with the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office for attempted escape. His security level was raised as a result.

Inmate Martinez is currently serving a three year sentence for Robbery, 211 PC, at Wasco State Prison and has been in the custody of the county jail of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department under a court-ordered retention since July 18, 2011. He was scheduled for a court hearing Tuesday morning where he is facing additional robbery charges.