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Crime

Man dresses up as sheep to escape Bolivian maximum security prison 

Police noticed that Diaz was not in his cell prompting authorities to search for the escaping prisoner

Prison
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February 15, 2023 12:54am

Updated: February 15, 2023 12:59am

A man serving 15 years in prison for homicide dressed up as a sheep and crawled around nearby fields to escape a maximum security prison in Bolivia last month. 

Jose Luis Callisaya Diaz, more commonly known as “El Araña,” used a sheepskin coat to sneak past the security at Chonchocoro and through the prison walls on February 4. 

However, Police noticed that Diaz was not in his cell prompting authorities to search for the escaping prisoner. Police caught Diaz in the act, thwarting his attempt to escape. 

Authorities shared pictures of Diaz’s attempt at escape, where he is seen crawling on all fours around the fields close to the prison and impersonating a sheep.

"The prisoner was found trying to camouflage himself among the straw of the highlands region using a sheepskin," reported the Ecuadorian media El Universo.

“We inform the Bolivian population that prison security police officers from the San Pedro de Chonchocoro Penitentiary Center prevented the escape of prisoner José Luis Callisaya Diaz (alias El Araña), who took advantage of the inclement weather to try to flee through one of the walls of the external perimeter of the prison,” the Director of the Penitentiary Regime Juan Carlos Limpias said.

Diaz is expected to face legal and disciplinary actions for his stunt.

Chonchocoro prison is the largest prison in La Paz, Bolivia.