Inmate Serving Sentence for Oak Lawn Ruse Burglary Nabbed After Hospital Escape

Chicago Police caught an inmate serving a sentence for residential burglary hours after he escaped from John H. Stroger Hospital early Wednesday morning, Chicago Breaking News reported.

, under the ruse of buying a car that was not for sale.

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While inside the home, Bell and his partner, Al Tan, tried to split up the couple. One of the residents happened to be on the phone talking to their son, who called

The duo fled when they heard that the couple’s son was calling police. They were apprehended a short time later by Oak Lawn Police when the ruse burglars' white Pontiac van struck another car.

Bell and Tan were convicted of residential burglary last November, according to Illinois Department of Correction records. Bell was serving a six-year prison term when he was taken to Stroger Hospital around 2 a.m. Wednesday, according to an IDOC spokeswoman.

Bell escaped around 4 a.m. when he eluded his IDOC guard at the hospital. He was captured near Montrose and Long Avenues on the Northwest Side around 8:50 a.m., Chicago Breaking News reported.

The convicted burglar was living in a halfway house run by ATC Crossroads and had been placed in work-release program because of his non-violent offender status. He had a few years left on his sentence.

Bell was living in Clawson, Mich., when he was captured last year for the Oak Lawn burglary. He is also known by the aliases of Eric Bell, Lee Eric, Paul Lee, John Mitchell, John P. Mitchell and Eric Tennis, Oak Lawn police said.

IDOC would not provide details on how Bell escaped, saying an investigation was underway, nor the nature of his medical treatment, citing medical privacy laws.

He is apparently headed back to state prison where he will face escape charges.

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