1 00:00:02,083 --> 00:00:03,875 - In a maximum-security jail, 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:06,208 criminals are packed into overcrowded cells. 3 00:00:06,292 --> 00:00:08,792 - A lot of the inmates are held in basically dormitories. 4 00:00:08,875 --> 00:00:11,167 - It's a recipe for violence. 5 00:00:11,208 --> 00:00:13,167 - People who are just awaiting trial 6 00:00:13,208 --> 00:00:15,083 on something like low-level felony, 7 00:00:15,167 --> 00:00:16,833 right next to actual murderers. 8 00:00:16,875 --> 00:00:19,292 - Facing years in this hellish prison, 9 00:00:19,417 --> 00:00:21,833 three inmates plan a high-risk escape. 10 00:00:21,917 --> 00:00:26,125 - The last bit of the plan all hinged on one thing-- 11 00:00:26,250 --> 00:00:28,958 will this rope hold? 12 00:00:29,042 --> 00:00:32,375 - If their plan fails and the rope breaks, 13 00:00:32,458 --> 00:00:34,167 they will pay a heavy price. 14 00:00:34,292 --> 00:00:36,417 - They faced almost certain death. 15 00:00:36,500 --> 00:00:38,667 [dramatic music] 16 00:00:38,792 --> 00:00:43,083 ♪ 17 00:00:43,167 --> 00:00:46,417 - Some of the greatest stories ever told 18 00:00:46,500 --> 00:00:47,958 start behind bars. 19 00:00:48,042 --> 00:00:49,458 [inmates clamoring] 20 00:00:49,542 --> 00:00:51,875 Locked up in the most notorious prisons 21 00:00:52,000 --> 00:00:53,208 in the world, 22 00:00:53,292 --> 00:00:57,375 spied on by guards and fellow prisoners... 23 00:00:57,500 --> 00:01:01,833 it takes a devious mind to find a way out. 24 00:01:01,958 --> 00:01:03,292 ♪ 25 00:01:03,375 --> 00:01:04,792 It could lead you to freedom... 26 00:01:04,875 --> 00:01:06,500 ♪ 27 00:01:06,583 --> 00:01:08,500 Or it could cost you your life. 28 00:01:08,583 --> 00:01:10,083 ♪ 29 00:01:10,208 --> 00:01:12,500 But wouldn't you try... 30 00:01:12,583 --> 00:01:14,667 when you have nothing left to lose? 31 00:01:14,708 --> 00:01:19,708 ♪ 32 00:01:19,792 --> 00:01:21,292 [cell door closes] 33 00:01:21,375 --> 00:01:28,333 ♪ 34 00:01:29,625 --> 00:01:33,125 Think you could hide in plain sight? 35 00:01:33,208 --> 00:01:35,167 Well, that's exactly what you would have to do 36 00:01:35,292 --> 00:01:37,167 to escape from here-- 37 00:01:37,292 --> 00:01:40,042 the Orange County Men's Jail. 38 00:01:40,167 --> 00:01:42,167 No dark corners, 39 00:01:42,208 --> 00:01:46,458 no isolated cells at the far end of the cell block... 40 00:01:46,542 --> 00:01:50,333 just you and over 60 of your closest friends, 41 00:01:50,417 --> 00:01:53,667 sitting day after day in a giant fishbowl, 42 00:01:53,708 --> 00:01:58,500 patrolled by guards with a full view of everything. 43 00:01:58,583 --> 00:02:03,458 To make it out of here would be a real vanishing act. 44 00:02:03,542 --> 00:02:06,042 ♪ 45 00:02:06,125 --> 00:02:08,292 - The jail in Orange County 46 00:02:08,375 --> 00:02:12,417 is a monolithic, old-school kind of a building. 47 00:02:12,500 --> 00:02:16,167 It's five stories tall. It was built in 1968. 48 00:02:16,208 --> 00:02:18,000 - It's known as Men's Central Jail, 49 00:02:18,042 --> 00:02:20,542 and it's a maximum-security facility-- 50 00:02:20,625 --> 00:02:22,250 kind of right there in the middle of Santa Ana. 51 00:02:22,333 --> 00:02:25,333 - The first floor is where attorneys 52 00:02:25,458 --> 00:02:27,667 and visitors meet the inmates. 53 00:02:27,708 --> 00:02:31,083 The second floor is the hospital wing. 54 00:02:31,167 --> 00:02:32,458 The third and fourth floor 55 00:02:32,542 --> 00:02:34,667 are where the prisoners are housed. 56 00:02:34,708 --> 00:02:38,833 And the fifth floor is recreation area on the roof. 57 00:02:38,917 --> 00:02:42,625 - The Orange County Jail has always held a mix of people-- 58 00:02:42,708 --> 00:02:44,583 people who are just awaiting trial 59 00:02:44,667 --> 00:02:46,000 on something like a misdemeanor, 60 00:02:46,083 --> 00:02:47,542 right next to child molesters, 61 00:02:47,625 --> 00:02:50,833 right next to some of the worst people in society. 62 00:02:50,917 --> 00:02:54,458 - All the offenders are thrown together in big dormitories 63 00:02:54,542 --> 00:02:57,250 known as holding tanks. 64 00:02:57,333 --> 00:02:59,667 - It's a dormitory-style setup-- 65 00:02:59,750 --> 00:03:01,417 68 bunk beds. 66 00:03:01,500 --> 00:03:03,875 The modules are set up next to each other, 67 00:03:03,958 --> 00:03:07,083 and there's a walkway between the modules. 68 00:03:07,208 --> 00:03:10,208 So there's a guard that has access 69 00:03:10,292 --> 00:03:12,458 to walk what they call "the beach." 70 00:03:12,542 --> 00:03:15,500 - As an additional layer of security, 71 00:03:15,625 --> 00:03:19,167 the first floor houses the County Sheriff's Department. 72 00:03:19,250 --> 00:03:21,792 Anyone attempting to escape 73 00:03:21,875 --> 00:03:24,417 would have to avoid the dozens of armed officers 74 00:03:24,500 --> 00:03:27,333 coming in and out on a daily basis. 75 00:03:27,417 --> 00:03:29,833 But even against those odds, 76 00:03:29,917 --> 00:03:33,083 in 2016, one man comes up 77 00:03:33,167 --> 00:03:35,292 with a plan to escape to freedom. 78 00:03:35,375 --> 00:03:38,667 His name is Hossein Nayeri. 79 00:03:38,750 --> 00:03:45,125 ♪ 80 00:03:45,125 --> 00:03:48,167 - Mr. Nayeri was very charismatic, 81 00:03:48,208 --> 00:03:50,417 very intelligent. 82 00:03:50,542 --> 00:03:52,542 - He was a son of Persian immigrants, 83 00:03:52,625 --> 00:03:55,875 grew up in Fresno, went to the Marines, 84 00:03:55,958 --> 00:03:57,667 but he went AWOL for a bit. 85 00:03:57,750 --> 00:04:00,375 - Nayeri's temper and refusal to follow the rules 86 00:04:00,458 --> 00:04:02,208 leads to his discharge 87 00:04:02,333 --> 00:04:04,667 after only two years of service. 88 00:04:04,750 --> 00:04:07,375 - He then started to have brushes with the law. 89 00:04:07,458 --> 00:04:10,583 In 2005, he was arrested for drunk driving, 90 00:04:10,708 --> 00:04:13,917 in an incident in which the passenger died. 91 00:04:14,000 --> 00:04:15,458 - And from there, 92 00:04:15,542 --> 00:04:18,875 his criminal activity only gets worse. 93 00:04:18,958 --> 00:04:21,250 - This guy is diabolical. 94 00:04:21,375 --> 00:04:25,750 In 2012, Nayeri was accused of kidnapping 95 00:04:25,875 --> 00:04:28,333 a marijuana dispensary owner in Orange County, 96 00:04:28,375 --> 00:04:30,667 taking him to the desert, pistol-whipping him, 97 00:04:30,750 --> 00:04:32,917 beating him with a rubber hose, 98 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:34,458 burning him with a blowtorch, 99 00:04:34,542 --> 00:04:37,042 and then ordering his accomplice 100 00:04:37,125 --> 00:04:39,667 to cut off the man's penis. 101 00:04:39,708 --> 00:04:42,667 - With law enforcement hot on his tail, 102 00:04:42,792 --> 00:04:45,958 Nayeri does more than skip town. 103 00:04:46,042 --> 00:04:47,667 He flees the country. 104 00:04:47,792 --> 00:04:49,083 - He fled to Iran. 105 00:04:49,167 --> 00:04:53,250 This guy was a sophisticated criminal 106 00:04:53,375 --> 00:04:55,167 who would run. 107 00:04:55,292 --> 00:04:57,167 - But after two years on the run, 108 00:04:57,208 --> 00:05:00,375 the police used Nayeri's ex-wife as bait 109 00:05:00,458 --> 00:05:02,708 to lure him into custody. 110 00:05:02,833 --> 00:05:03,875 He's locked up 111 00:05:04,042 --> 00:05:06,458 in the maximum-security Orange County Men's Jail 112 00:05:06,583 --> 00:05:09,333 to await trial for his heinous crimes. 113 00:05:09,417 --> 00:05:12,500 - If you're going to kidnap someone and mutilate them, 114 00:05:12,583 --> 00:05:14,750 you're going to spend a lot of time in prison. 115 00:05:14,750 --> 00:05:18,208 And Hossein Nayeri was facing life in prison. 116 00:05:18,292 --> 00:05:20,792 - Having overwhelming evidence against him, 117 00:05:20,875 --> 00:05:24,542 combined with his attempt to elude authorities, 118 00:05:24,625 --> 00:05:27,500 Nayeri's shot at escaping prison the legal way 119 00:05:27,542 --> 00:05:29,667 is slim to none. 120 00:05:29,750 --> 00:05:33,333 - Hossein knows that if he's going to try to escape, 121 00:05:33,417 --> 00:05:35,417 this is the time, a county jail, 122 00:05:35,417 --> 00:05:37,417 because if he gets sent to state prison, 123 00:05:37,500 --> 00:05:39,500 to federal prison, the security there 124 00:05:39,583 --> 00:05:41,333 is way, way, way more difficult. 125 00:05:41,417 --> 00:05:43,125 If he's going to be able to do it, 126 00:05:43,125 --> 00:05:46,208 his best chance is going to be at the Orange County Jail. 127 00:05:46,292 --> 00:05:49,458 - Hossein Nayeri's trial is on the horizon, 128 00:05:49,542 --> 00:05:52,667 so time is running out for any potential escape. 129 00:05:52,708 --> 00:05:55,333 The moment he set foot in the jail, 130 00:05:55,500 --> 00:05:58,667 he's placed in Module F, Tank 28, 131 00:05:58,750 --> 00:05:59,875 a holding cell 132 00:05:59,958 --> 00:06:03,292 on the Orange County Jail's fourth floor. 133 00:06:03,375 --> 00:06:07,167 He immediately begins looking for a possible escape route. 134 00:06:07,292 --> 00:06:08,792 - So, if you're in the Orange County Jail, 135 00:06:08,875 --> 00:06:10,583 you're looking around. 136 00:06:10,583 --> 00:06:12,417 You think to yourself, "How can I escape?" 137 00:06:12,542 --> 00:06:14,375 You can't go through the bars where the deputies are 138 00:06:14,458 --> 00:06:15,958 'cause the deputies are there. 139 00:06:16,042 --> 00:06:17,875 You're not going to be able to go out through the window 140 00:06:17,958 --> 00:06:20,667 because that is a straight fall down. 141 00:06:20,750 --> 00:06:23,417 So Hossein is trying to figure out how to do it, 142 00:06:23,500 --> 00:06:25,667 but then he notices something. 143 00:06:25,792 --> 00:06:28,375 Near one of the bunks is a grate. 144 00:06:28,458 --> 00:06:30,333 That's where the ventilation is, 145 00:06:30,375 --> 00:06:32,000 the air conditioning is. 146 00:06:32,083 --> 00:06:34,292 So you start imagining and thinking to yourself, 147 00:06:34,375 --> 00:06:35,833 "Well, if I could cut through there, 148 00:06:35,875 --> 00:06:37,625 "especially in a place like this, 149 00:06:37,708 --> 00:06:39,792 the ventilation has to lead somewhere." 150 00:06:39,875 --> 00:06:43,500 - The vent poses a few challenges as an escape route. 151 00:06:43,583 --> 00:06:45,583 First of all, Nayeri has no way 152 00:06:45,667 --> 00:06:48,250 of removing the metal grate. 153 00:06:48,333 --> 00:06:50,750 Second, how is he going to pull off 154 00:06:50,875 --> 00:06:54,083 the ultimate Houdini act in an open room 155 00:06:54,167 --> 00:06:57,667 filled with inmates and patrolled by guards? 156 00:06:57,708 --> 00:07:02,333 And third, even if he manages to get through the grate, 157 00:07:02,375 --> 00:07:04,917 there's only one conceivable way out 158 00:07:05,000 --> 00:07:07,833 of the Orange County Jail-- the roof. 159 00:07:07,917 --> 00:07:09,625 - The thing about the Orange County Jail 160 00:07:09,708 --> 00:07:12,875 is it sits above the Sheriff's Department. 161 00:07:12,958 --> 00:07:14,083 ♪ 162 00:07:14,167 --> 00:07:16,958 So, in order to get out of a housing unit, 163 00:07:17,042 --> 00:07:18,500 you got to either go down, 164 00:07:18,583 --> 00:07:20,667 in which case you go right into the Sheriff's Department, 165 00:07:20,708 --> 00:07:24,333 or you go up, where you may be 60 or 70 feet in the air, 166 00:07:24,375 --> 00:07:26,000 in which case, you've got to figure out, 167 00:07:26,042 --> 00:07:27,958 "Well, now, how do I get down to ground level?" 168 00:07:28,042 --> 00:07:30,708 - But even if Nayeri is brazen enough 169 00:07:30,833 --> 00:07:33,167 to attempt the death-defying escape 170 00:07:33,208 --> 00:07:34,542 from the top of the jail, 171 00:07:34,625 --> 00:07:38,333 the most important thing he will need is tools 172 00:07:38,417 --> 00:07:40,167 to get up there in the first place. 173 00:07:40,250 --> 00:07:42,917 ♪ 174 00:07:43,042 --> 00:07:46,292 - Nayeri needed people that he could manipulate 175 00:07:46,292 --> 00:07:47,833 into joining him in this, 176 00:07:47,958 --> 00:07:49,625 'cause this isn't the type of thing he could do himself. 177 00:07:49,708 --> 00:07:52,667 He's extremely intelligent. He's extremely manipulative. 178 00:07:52,750 --> 00:07:54,833 And that gives him kind of an opportunity 179 00:07:54,917 --> 00:07:56,750 to rule the roost in an area like this, 180 00:07:56,833 --> 00:07:58,667 because you're going to house a guy like that 181 00:07:58,708 --> 00:08:00,208 with people that aren't criminals, 182 00:08:00,333 --> 00:08:04,333 and they're going to be afraid of a guy like Hossein Nayeri. 183 00:08:04,417 --> 00:08:07,458 - Nayeri knows he needs to bring in some accomplices 184 00:08:07,542 --> 00:08:09,208 for his plan to work, 185 00:08:09,292 --> 00:08:13,750 and who better than his two gang-affiliated neighbors? 186 00:08:13,875 --> 00:08:18,667 ♪ 187 00:08:18,792 --> 00:08:20,542 - Bac Duong was the oldest of the three. 188 00:08:20,625 --> 00:08:21,750 He was the gang member. 189 00:08:21,875 --> 00:08:24,167 He was charged with attempted murder 190 00:08:24,250 --> 00:08:26,125 after a shooting in Santa Ana. 191 00:08:26,208 --> 00:08:31,208 ♪ 192 00:08:31,292 --> 00:08:34,500 - Jonathan Tieu was a child of Vietnamese refugees, 193 00:08:34,542 --> 00:08:35,958 a younger man. 194 00:08:36,042 --> 00:08:37,917 He was involved in a Vietnamese gang 195 00:08:38,000 --> 00:08:40,000 in Orange County, California, called the Little Rascals. 196 00:08:40,083 --> 00:08:43,833 And he was charged as being accomplice to murder. 197 00:08:43,917 --> 00:08:45,667 - He needed these other two men 198 00:08:45,792 --> 00:08:48,000 in order to effectuate his escape. 199 00:08:48,125 --> 00:08:50,583 He needed their help in immediate ties to the outside. 200 00:08:50,667 --> 00:08:51,917 So he needed people 201 00:08:52,000 --> 00:08:54,083 that he could either intimidate into helping 202 00:08:54,167 --> 00:08:56,708 or manipulate into helping, one way or another. 203 00:08:56,833 --> 00:08:58,542 So he had a whole laundry list of stuff, 204 00:08:58,625 --> 00:09:00,708 but the most important thing that he needed was, 205 00:09:00,792 --> 00:09:03,500 he needed willing participants that he could control 206 00:09:03,542 --> 00:09:05,000 that were inside the jail. 207 00:09:05,083 --> 00:09:07,000 - Having an affiliation with a gang 208 00:09:07,083 --> 00:09:09,583 can open relationships with people outside 209 00:09:09,667 --> 00:09:12,500 that can help manipulate things inside 210 00:09:12,583 --> 00:09:15,500 and to smuggle contraband into the tank. 211 00:09:15,583 --> 00:09:18,042 - Bac was a fixer. He knew how to get things. 212 00:09:18,125 --> 00:09:19,417 He knew who to talk to. 213 00:09:19,500 --> 00:09:20,958 And he knew, more importantly, 214 00:09:21,042 --> 00:09:24,500 how to not get caught when he was doing all these things. 215 00:09:24,583 --> 00:09:26,833 He needs that fixer. He needs that soldier. 216 00:09:26,917 --> 00:09:29,833 And he found them in Bac and Jonathan. 217 00:09:29,917 --> 00:09:32,917 - Nayeri works his charms on the two men, 218 00:09:33,042 --> 00:09:36,625 filling their mind with delusions of grandeur-- 219 00:09:36,708 --> 00:09:40,458 a future outside of the prison walls. 220 00:09:40,542 --> 00:09:43,375 But before this future can be realized, 221 00:09:43,375 --> 00:09:46,500 Nayeri will need something to cut through the metal grate 222 00:09:46,583 --> 00:09:48,542 behind his bunk. 223 00:09:48,625 --> 00:09:50,833 - You have a steel grate in front of you, 224 00:09:50,917 --> 00:09:52,792 well, you're not going to be able to pull it out. 225 00:09:52,875 --> 00:09:54,333 You're going to need a saw. 226 00:09:54,375 --> 00:09:57,000 ♪ 227 00:09:57,042 --> 00:10:00,042 - Hossein Nayeri has asked Bac Duong, the fixer, 228 00:10:00,125 --> 00:10:03,542 to use his connections to smuggle a hacksaw 229 00:10:03,667 --> 00:10:05,500 into the Orange County Jail 230 00:10:05,583 --> 00:10:07,667 in order to execute his escape. 231 00:10:07,750 --> 00:10:09,542 - But it's one thing to ask for something. 232 00:10:09,625 --> 00:10:11,167 It's another thing to get it. 233 00:10:11,250 --> 00:10:15,667 ♪ 234 00:10:15,792 --> 00:10:18,625 - Putting your life in the hands of a lifelong criminal 235 00:10:18,708 --> 00:10:21,958 who's being charged with attempted murder is risky. 236 00:10:22,083 --> 00:10:24,583 - There's a lot of risk in corrupting somebody else 237 00:10:24,667 --> 00:10:25,958 who's serving time in the tank 238 00:10:26,042 --> 00:10:27,875 to bring something into the prison 239 00:10:27,958 --> 00:10:29,750 because you don't know if they're working 240 00:10:29,833 --> 00:10:31,417 as an informant. 241 00:10:31,500 --> 00:10:33,208 - It's not uncommon for prisoners 242 00:10:33,208 --> 00:10:37,042 to rat out other prisoners in lieu of reduced sentences. 243 00:10:37,125 --> 00:10:39,583 But with his trial on the horizon, 244 00:10:39,708 --> 00:10:41,500 Nayeri doesn't have the time 245 00:10:41,583 --> 00:10:43,792 to fully vet his new accomplices. 246 00:10:43,875 --> 00:10:47,500 He's confident the way out is to go up 247 00:10:47,583 --> 00:10:49,833 through the inner workings of the prison 248 00:10:49,958 --> 00:10:53,667 and then scale down the outside walls to freedom. 249 00:10:53,750 --> 00:10:56,125 But first things first-- 250 00:10:56,208 --> 00:10:58,500 he needs that saw. 251 00:10:58,583 --> 00:11:02,167 But in prison, rule number one is, 252 00:11:02,208 --> 00:11:05,708 never trust anyone. 253 00:11:05,792 --> 00:11:08,333 If Bac is indeed a rat, 254 00:11:08,417 --> 00:11:12,167 Nayeri will be destined to spend the rest of his life 255 00:11:12,250 --> 00:11:14,250 in a concrete box. 256 00:11:18,542 --> 00:11:21,375 [dramatic music] 257 00:11:21,458 --> 00:11:22,792 ♪ 258 00:11:22,875 --> 00:11:26,250 - Inmate Hossein Nayeri 259 00:11:26,333 --> 00:11:30,292 has put his life in the hands of a fellow prison fixer, 260 00:11:30,375 --> 00:11:32,833 Bac Duong. 261 00:11:32,958 --> 00:11:35,792 It's risky entrusting Bac with the critical task 262 00:11:35,875 --> 00:11:37,958 of smuggling a hacksaw 263 00:11:38,042 --> 00:11:42,458 into the maximum-security Orange County Jail. 264 00:11:42,542 --> 00:11:47,333 If Bac delivers on his promise, the escape plan is a go. 265 00:11:47,417 --> 00:11:51,208 But if Nayeri's charms have inadvertently turned Bac 266 00:11:51,292 --> 00:11:53,458 into a prison informant, 267 00:11:53,542 --> 00:11:57,500 Hossein Nayeri will actually spend the rest of his life 268 00:11:57,542 --> 00:11:59,000 in prison. 269 00:11:59,083 --> 00:12:04,667 ♪ 270 00:12:04,708 --> 00:12:05,958 - Bac goes out. 271 00:12:06,042 --> 00:12:07,875 Through his connections on the street, 272 00:12:07,958 --> 00:12:09,875 he gets a saw smuggled into the Orange County Jail. 273 00:12:09,958 --> 00:12:11,458 Not just smuggled into the Orange County Jail, 274 00:12:11,542 --> 00:12:15,083 but in his hands that then are able to go to Hossein. 275 00:12:15,167 --> 00:12:17,167 - The chaotic nature of the jail 276 00:12:17,250 --> 00:12:21,000 creates a breeding ground for smuggling opportunities. 277 00:12:21,083 --> 00:12:24,667 - Some prison gangs will actually instruct somebody, 278 00:12:24,750 --> 00:12:26,250 "You're going to get arrested. 279 00:12:26,375 --> 00:12:29,292 "You're going to bring in these items that we need, 280 00:12:29,375 --> 00:12:31,292 "and then they're going to release you 281 00:12:31,375 --> 00:12:32,583 for the minor crime." 282 00:12:32,708 --> 00:12:35,000 - To this day, no one is talking 283 00:12:35,083 --> 00:12:38,000 about how exactly Bac pulls this off, 284 00:12:38,125 --> 00:12:41,333 but no one thinks it's impossible. 285 00:12:41,375 --> 00:12:42,917 - It's like, "Okay, 286 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:44,500 "everything that you said you could do, you did it. 287 00:12:44,625 --> 00:12:45,875 "I trust you a little bit more. 288 00:12:45,958 --> 00:12:47,458 "I'm never going to trust you completely, 289 00:12:47,542 --> 00:12:48,958 "but I trust you a little bit more. 290 00:12:49,042 --> 00:12:50,958 But this is the first part. Now we got to get to work." 291 00:12:51,042 --> 00:12:53,833 - Saw in hand and trust established, 292 00:12:53,917 --> 00:12:57,042 the only thing left to do is to get started. 293 00:12:57,042 --> 00:12:59,167 ♪ 294 00:12:59,208 --> 00:13:01,583 But they'll need to work in such a way 295 00:13:01,667 --> 00:13:03,833 that they avoid all the eyes 296 00:13:03,917 --> 00:13:06,750 of both the inmates and the guards. 297 00:13:06,833 --> 00:13:08,833 - There was a steel bed frame 298 00:13:08,917 --> 00:13:11,250 blocking this ventilation grate. 299 00:13:11,333 --> 00:13:13,917 So they had to not only saw through that steel bed frame 300 00:13:14,042 --> 00:13:15,833 to be able to move it to get to the grate. 301 00:13:16,000 --> 00:13:17,208 They're going to have to do it in a way 302 00:13:17,292 --> 00:13:18,667 where the deputies are not paying attention, 303 00:13:18,750 --> 00:13:20,208 that they're not caught. 304 00:13:20,292 --> 00:13:22,708 - One of the things about living inside of that open tank 305 00:13:22,792 --> 00:13:25,500 is there's just a complete absence of privacy. 306 00:13:25,542 --> 00:13:28,500 So a lot of times what people serving time in there will do 307 00:13:28,625 --> 00:13:31,375 is they'll hold up sheets to try and block somebody 308 00:13:31,458 --> 00:13:33,000 while he's changing 309 00:13:33,042 --> 00:13:36,042 or while something else is going on inside of that jail. 310 00:13:36,125 --> 00:13:38,083 Now, guards will try and block it. 311 00:13:38,208 --> 00:13:40,833 But when you have one or two officers inside 312 00:13:40,875 --> 00:13:43,750 of a housing unit with 60-some people, 313 00:13:43,833 --> 00:13:44,917 sometimes they get tired. 314 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:46,333 Sometimes they don't do it. 315 00:13:46,417 --> 00:13:48,375 And when they are not paying attention, 316 00:13:48,458 --> 00:13:50,125 that opens an opportunity 317 00:13:50,208 --> 00:13:52,542 for somebody who's trying to scheme their way 318 00:13:52,542 --> 00:13:54,208 or facilitate an escape. 319 00:13:54,292 --> 00:13:58,208 - If any part of their plan is discovered by the guards-- 320 00:13:58,292 --> 00:14:01,583 if the guard sees one of them holding a sheet, 321 00:14:01,667 --> 00:14:05,000 if the guard sees their bedpost out of place, 322 00:14:05,083 --> 00:14:07,667 their chance at freedom is gone. 323 00:14:07,750 --> 00:14:09,125 ♪ 324 00:14:09,125 --> 00:14:11,333 - This is a process that's taking weeks. 325 00:14:11,375 --> 00:14:14,167 - After 16 days of monotonous sawing 326 00:14:14,208 --> 00:14:16,708 while avoiding the prying eyes of the prison guards... 327 00:14:16,792 --> 00:14:18,792 ♪ 328 00:14:18,875 --> 00:14:21,833 Nayeri breaks through the bed frame. 329 00:14:21,875 --> 00:14:25,000 Now they have unobstructed access 330 00:14:25,083 --> 00:14:27,125 to the ventilation grate. 331 00:14:27,208 --> 00:14:31,542 ♪ 332 00:14:31,667 --> 00:14:35,208 It takes just eight days to get through the metal grate. 333 00:14:35,292 --> 00:14:38,958 The three men now have the ability to leave their cell. 334 00:14:39,042 --> 00:14:41,250 But Nayeri has wasted a lot of time 335 00:14:41,333 --> 00:14:43,375 just getting into the walls. 336 00:14:43,500 --> 00:14:47,333 With his trial looming, he'll have no time for setbacks. 337 00:14:47,417 --> 00:14:50,333 - Once they succeeded in removing the grate, 338 00:14:50,375 --> 00:14:52,583 not breaking it so they could replace it every night, 339 00:14:52,667 --> 00:14:54,875 their next move was going to be to figure out, 340 00:14:54,958 --> 00:14:57,042 how do they get out, and where do they go? 341 00:14:57,125 --> 00:14:58,875 - Hossein Nayeri 342 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:00,917 carefully squeezes his way 343 00:15:01,042 --> 00:15:03,250 into the inner workings of the jail. 344 00:15:03,375 --> 00:15:05,500 - When he got through, he wasn't finished 345 00:15:05,583 --> 00:15:07,042 squeezing through things, 346 00:15:07,125 --> 00:15:10,292 because he had to go through a long, skinny shaft 347 00:15:10,375 --> 00:15:14,458 that was made for the pipes of the jail. 348 00:15:14,542 --> 00:15:17,208 It's a opened shaft 349 00:15:17,292 --> 00:15:20,833 where you can see two stories above you, 350 00:15:20,958 --> 00:15:24,250 but you've only got about two feet of space 351 00:15:24,333 --> 00:15:25,708 on either side. 352 00:15:25,833 --> 00:15:28,458 So you've got to walk straight ahead 353 00:15:28,542 --> 00:15:31,167 through the cobwebs, through the dark. 354 00:15:31,208 --> 00:15:34,125 These guys had to be feeling their way along 355 00:15:34,208 --> 00:15:37,542 because they couldn't see anything. 356 00:15:37,667 --> 00:15:40,000 - It's going to require many reconnaissance trips, 357 00:15:40,083 --> 00:15:41,167 because it's like 358 00:15:41,250 --> 00:15:43,167 a labyrinthine environment in there, 359 00:15:43,250 --> 00:15:46,500 with all types of pipes and vents. 360 00:15:46,542 --> 00:15:48,625 And you don't know which way it goes-- 361 00:15:48,708 --> 00:15:50,708 up, down, sideways. 362 00:15:50,792 --> 00:15:54,167 - Nayeri realizes that the dark maze of the prison walls 363 00:15:54,250 --> 00:15:56,875 would be impossible to explore blind. 364 00:15:56,958 --> 00:15:58,500 Without a light source, 365 00:15:58,542 --> 00:16:00,833 they'll never figure out their path to freedom. 366 00:16:00,875 --> 00:16:03,708 ♪ 367 00:16:03,792 --> 00:16:06,542 But Bac, the fixer, has an idea. 368 00:16:06,625 --> 00:16:07,917 ♪ 369 00:16:08,042 --> 00:16:10,000 Why settle for just one tool 370 00:16:10,083 --> 00:16:12,833 when you can get two for the price of one? 371 00:16:12,917 --> 00:16:15,375 What they need is a cell phone. 372 00:16:15,500 --> 00:16:18,583 - Inmates are not supposed to have cell phones. 373 00:16:18,708 --> 00:16:21,167 There's a lot of cell phones in Orange County Jail. 374 00:16:21,292 --> 00:16:24,458 Don't get me wrong, the jail is a very secure place. 375 00:16:24,542 --> 00:16:26,292 But you can get a lot of things 376 00:16:26,375 --> 00:16:28,708 that you can get out on the street in jail as well. 377 00:16:28,792 --> 00:16:33,042 ♪ 378 00:16:33,167 --> 00:16:34,792 - Like clockwork, 379 00:16:34,875 --> 00:16:37,125 one of Bac Duong's gang connections 380 00:16:37,208 --> 00:16:39,417 arrives with a shipment. 381 00:16:39,500 --> 00:16:41,042 - So the cell phone would serve 382 00:16:41,125 --> 00:16:42,500 multiple purposes, of course. 383 00:16:42,542 --> 00:16:45,750 Number one, it could allow them to see 384 00:16:45,875 --> 00:16:47,292 because it has a flashlight on it. 385 00:16:47,375 --> 00:16:50,792 Number two, it may allow them to communicate 386 00:16:50,917 --> 00:16:53,167 with accomplices that are outside. 387 00:16:53,208 --> 00:16:55,083 - Phone and flashlight in hand, Nayeri, 388 00:16:55,208 --> 00:16:57,292 always a narcissist, 389 00:16:57,375 --> 00:16:59,750 decides that if they're going to escape, 390 00:16:59,875 --> 00:17:01,458 they might as well film their caper 391 00:17:01,542 --> 00:17:03,708 on their newly acquired cell phone. 392 00:17:03,792 --> 00:17:05,292 Perhaps they'll be famous. 393 00:17:05,375 --> 00:17:07,417 - They start filming themselves on their cell phone, 394 00:17:07,500 --> 00:17:10,333 like true millennials, like true narcissists. 395 00:17:10,417 --> 00:17:13,083 - The light from their phone reveals the complexity 396 00:17:13,208 --> 00:17:14,750 of the maze before them. 397 00:17:14,875 --> 00:17:17,583 With so many, many twists and turns, 398 00:17:17,667 --> 00:17:20,208 one wrong decision could lead them straight 399 00:17:20,292 --> 00:17:22,292 into another holding cell. 400 00:17:22,375 --> 00:17:25,917 They have to be certain that the path they choose 401 00:17:26,000 --> 00:17:27,667 is the way out. 402 00:17:27,792 --> 00:17:32,000 And then one night, they find a path to freedom. 403 00:17:32,083 --> 00:17:33,875 - And then they finally find something, 404 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:35,625 but it's not what they expect. 405 00:17:35,708 --> 00:17:36,833 It's 12 feet up. 406 00:17:36,917 --> 00:17:39,292 There's wrought iron all around, 407 00:17:39,375 --> 00:17:40,833 but it leads somewhere. 408 00:17:40,917 --> 00:17:42,500 - 12 feet off the ground 409 00:17:42,542 --> 00:17:45,250 and covered by thick wrought-iron bars, 410 00:17:45,333 --> 00:17:48,375 the men are hopeful this duly protected shaft 411 00:17:48,458 --> 00:17:50,792 is the exit to the rooftop. 412 00:17:50,875 --> 00:17:52,917 But sawing through wrought iron 413 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:54,833 in a very precarious position 414 00:17:54,917 --> 00:17:56,708 could take months. 415 00:17:56,792 --> 00:17:58,167 With his trial looming, 416 00:17:58,250 --> 00:18:00,667 Nayeri doesn't have the luxury of time. 417 00:18:00,708 --> 00:18:03,625 If the men spend months sawing through the bars 418 00:18:03,708 --> 00:18:06,125 only to find another maze of corridors, 419 00:18:06,208 --> 00:18:09,000 then their dreams of freedom will be just that-- 420 00:18:09,083 --> 00:18:10,542 dreams. 421 00:18:10,625 --> 00:18:12,458 ♪ 422 00:18:16,625 --> 00:18:19,500 [dramatic music] 423 00:18:19,625 --> 00:18:24,125 ♪ 424 00:18:24,208 --> 00:18:26,667 - Hossein Nayeri and his fellow escapees 425 00:18:26,708 --> 00:18:29,667 have made it into the plumbing corridor behind their cell, 426 00:18:29,750 --> 00:18:32,917 but they can't waste time doing endless explorations 427 00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:35,333 of the secret passageways. 428 00:18:35,417 --> 00:18:38,875 Before they figure out how to climb up to the ceiling vent 429 00:18:38,958 --> 00:18:41,250 and cut through the bars, 430 00:18:41,333 --> 00:18:43,167 they need to make sure 431 00:18:43,292 --> 00:18:45,708 it leads them exactly where they want to go. 432 00:18:45,792 --> 00:18:47,083 ♪ 433 00:18:47,167 --> 00:18:49,375 They'll need more than just a map. 434 00:18:49,375 --> 00:18:52,333 What they need is satellite imagery. 435 00:18:52,375 --> 00:18:54,250 ♪ 436 00:18:54,333 --> 00:18:56,000 A Google Map layout 437 00:18:56,083 --> 00:18:57,792 that would not only show them 438 00:18:57,875 --> 00:18:59,500 the details of the roof 439 00:18:59,625 --> 00:19:02,292 but the layout of the surrounding neighborhood. 440 00:19:02,375 --> 00:19:05,083 But in this jail, there is no access to Wi-Fi, 441 00:19:05,208 --> 00:19:08,125 which means no Google Maps. 442 00:19:08,208 --> 00:19:10,625 I guess this is the end of the road. 443 00:19:10,708 --> 00:19:16,833 ♪ 444 00:19:16,917 --> 00:19:20,833 However, Nayeri is nothing if not relentless, 445 00:19:20,875 --> 00:19:22,375 and the master manipulator 446 00:19:22,458 --> 00:19:25,708 has recently started taking English classes 447 00:19:25,792 --> 00:19:27,333 in prison. 448 00:19:27,417 --> 00:19:30,167 Perhaps there's something else he can learn. 449 00:19:30,250 --> 00:19:31,750 - So he tries to figure out, 450 00:19:31,833 --> 00:19:34,083 "Who is going to be the person who's going to give it to me"? 451 00:19:34,167 --> 00:19:35,833 And he finds it in an ESL teacher 452 00:19:35,917 --> 00:19:37,792 named Nooshfarin Ravaghi. 453 00:19:37,875 --> 00:19:42,583 ♪ 454 00:19:42,708 --> 00:19:45,167 - She's a Persian-to-English teacher 455 00:19:45,250 --> 00:19:46,542 that they bring into the jail. 456 00:19:46,625 --> 00:19:48,583 And, you know, Nayeri grew up in Fresno. 457 00:19:48,708 --> 00:19:51,167 He was born in Iran, and he traveled back to Iran a lot, 458 00:19:51,250 --> 00:19:52,792 but his English is perfect. 459 00:19:52,875 --> 00:19:54,792 But, you know, he got to program in the jail, 460 00:19:54,875 --> 00:19:57,167 and he has the ability to wrap women around his finger. 461 00:19:57,333 --> 00:19:59,500 So he wound up getting this woman, 462 00:19:59,583 --> 00:20:02,625 who lives at home with her dogs, she's a nice lady-- 463 00:20:02,625 --> 00:20:04,333 essentially got her to fall in love with him. 464 00:20:04,375 --> 00:20:06,292 And one of the things he said was, 465 00:20:06,375 --> 00:20:08,458 "Look, my lawyer isn't seeing me enough. 466 00:20:08,542 --> 00:20:11,375 "Can you give me a map showing me where his office is? 467 00:20:11,500 --> 00:20:13,375 Because I want to see how close he is to the jail." 468 00:20:13,500 --> 00:20:16,292 Now, Nayeri already knew that Sal's office 469 00:20:16,375 --> 00:20:17,792 is essentially across the street. 470 00:20:17,875 --> 00:20:20,958 So he knew that by getting a map of Sal's office, 471 00:20:21,042 --> 00:20:24,667 it would automatically have to include a map of the jail. 472 00:20:24,708 --> 00:20:28,792 - Nayeri works his charm on the hapless ESL teacher. 473 00:20:28,875 --> 00:20:31,833 But if Noosha is able to see through his facade, 474 00:20:31,875 --> 00:20:33,500 she'll notify authorities, 475 00:20:33,542 --> 00:20:36,167 and Nayeri's plot will be foiled. 476 00:20:36,208 --> 00:20:38,292 - She doesn't know what he wants it for. 477 00:20:38,417 --> 00:20:40,042 She just figures, "Oh, it's a student of mine. 478 00:20:40,125 --> 00:20:41,417 "He's friendly to me. 479 00:20:41,542 --> 00:20:43,250 "Oh, sure. I'll print this out. 480 00:20:43,333 --> 00:20:45,000 "How could it possibly be criminal 481 00:20:45,042 --> 00:20:48,667 for me to give something like this to a student of mine?" 482 00:20:48,708 --> 00:20:51,375 Never in a million years thought that it would lead 483 00:20:51,458 --> 00:20:54,417 to something as terrible as what ended up happening. 484 00:20:54,500 --> 00:20:57,458 - Once again, the manipulator's charms work. 485 00:20:57,542 --> 00:21:01,375 Noosha Ravaghi brings a Google Maps printout 486 00:21:01,458 --> 00:21:04,708 of the rooftop and delivers it to Nayeri. 487 00:21:04,833 --> 00:21:07,333 The innocent, lovestruck ESL teacher 488 00:21:07,417 --> 00:21:10,000 is now an unwitting accomplice. 489 00:21:10,042 --> 00:21:11,833 - He could see the ventilation system. 490 00:21:11,917 --> 00:21:14,375 He could see the distance between the ventilator 491 00:21:14,500 --> 00:21:16,583 and the edge of the roof. 492 00:21:16,667 --> 00:21:20,542 He could see the outline of razor wire around the roof 493 00:21:20,667 --> 00:21:24,500 and could see the area where they were gonna rappel down. 494 00:21:24,583 --> 00:21:28,583 - Hacksaw, cell phone, and map in hand, 495 00:21:28,667 --> 00:21:32,167 the barriers keeping these three deranged individuals 496 00:21:32,250 --> 00:21:35,125 from being released into the free world 497 00:21:35,208 --> 00:21:37,500 are growing increasingly thin. 498 00:21:37,625 --> 00:21:41,375 But now they face their most difficult obstacle yet. 499 00:21:41,375 --> 00:21:43,292 - At the bottom of that shaft, 500 00:21:43,375 --> 00:21:44,833 looking up at the ventilator, 501 00:21:44,917 --> 00:21:47,708 it seemed almost like an impossible task. 502 00:21:47,792 --> 00:21:50,542 How did they not only swing themselves up there, 503 00:21:50,625 --> 00:21:53,500 but how did they get through the bars? 504 00:21:53,583 --> 00:21:55,167 - Ever the problem solver, 505 00:21:55,250 --> 00:21:58,000 Nayeri comes up with an ingenious way 506 00:21:58,042 --> 00:21:59,667 to access the ventilator. 507 00:21:59,708 --> 00:22:04,208 ♪ 508 00:22:04,292 --> 00:22:07,833 - They took bedsheets and used them as ropes. 509 00:22:07,917 --> 00:22:11,500 They would swing the bedsheet up over a pipe, 510 00:22:11,583 --> 00:22:13,417 hold it so it was tight, 511 00:22:13,542 --> 00:22:15,625 and then shimmy their way up 512 00:22:15,708 --> 00:22:18,333 until they got to the ventilator opening. 513 00:22:18,417 --> 00:22:19,917 How did they use bedsheets? 514 00:22:20,000 --> 00:22:22,792 The bedsheets were supposed to be accounted for. 515 00:22:22,875 --> 00:22:25,958 Every day they took an inventory 516 00:22:26,042 --> 00:22:28,625 of the stuff that was issued to the prisoners. 517 00:22:28,708 --> 00:22:31,583 So, in this case, someone dropped the ball. 518 00:22:31,667 --> 00:22:34,333 - The escapees know that they can't continue 519 00:22:34,417 --> 00:22:36,458 to count on administrative mistakes 520 00:22:36,542 --> 00:22:38,500 for their breakout's success. 521 00:22:38,542 --> 00:22:40,875 But they'll take their lucky breaks 522 00:22:40,958 --> 00:22:42,417 where they can get them. 523 00:22:42,542 --> 00:22:45,958 After all, with Nayeri's trial on the horizon, 524 00:22:46,042 --> 00:22:48,333 a broken ventilation grate, 525 00:22:48,375 --> 00:22:49,667 and a room full of inmates 526 00:22:49,792 --> 00:22:52,458 eager to get a reduction in their charges, 527 00:22:52,542 --> 00:22:54,750 the clock is ticking. 528 00:22:54,875 --> 00:22:59,250 - They're in a jail with 68 bunks full of people 529 00:22:59,333 --> 00:23:01,708 who would love to snitch on them 530 00:23:01,833 --> 00:23:04,708 to get lesser sentences so that they can get out of jail. 531 00:23:04,875 --> 00:23:08,625 The whole plan would go up in smoke at any moment 532 00:23:08,708 --> 00:23:12,375 if any of those other inmates went to the guards. 533 00:23:12,458 --> 00:23:15,917 So they had to do this as quickly as possible. 534 00:23:16,000 --> 00:23:19,583 - "As possible" being the operative phrase. 535 00:23:19,667 --> 00:23:22,875 Every night Nayeri disappears into the vent. 536 00:23:23,000 --> 00:23:27,000 He has to work silently in order to avoid detection. 537 00:23:27,042 --> 00:23:28,625 This slows their progress 538 00:23:28,708 --> 00:23:30,917 sawing through the wrought-iron bars. 539 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,875 - It took about six months from start to finish 540 00:23:33,958 --> 00:23:36,292 to accomplish the things that they needed to do. 541 00:23:36,375 --> 00:23:43,208 ♪ 542 00:23:43,292 --> 00:23:44,958 - After five months of avoiding 543 00:23:45,042 --> 00:23:47,500 the keen eyes of guards and sneaking off 544 00:23:47,542 --> 00:23:50,500 into the inner walls of the prison each night, 545 00:23:50,542 --> 00:23:53,208 Nayeri finally breaks through the last barrier 546 00:23:53,292 --> 00:23:55,333 to the outside world. 547 00:23:55,500 --> 00:23:56,667 - They get on the roof. 548 00:23:56,708 --> 00:23:58,667 Oh, my gosh. They're finally here. 549 00:23:58,750 --> 00:24:01,500 But they realize, okay, there must be cameras there. 550 00:24:01,583 --> 00:24:03,833 Then there's a rec area where they were used to it. 551 00:24:03,917 --> 00:24:06,667 But they realize that all the cameras on the roof, 552 00:24:06,750 --> 00:24:08,708 they're only pointing at the rec area. 553 00:24:08,792 --> 00:24:10,458 The place where they're at, 554 00:24:10,542 --> 00:24:13,333 there's no cameras there whatsoever. 555 00:24:13,375 --> 00:24:15,667 - But their relief is short-lived. 556 00:24:15,792 --> 00:24:17,792 Getting down from the roof 557 00:24:17,875 --> 00:24:21,167 will require the men to risk everything. 558 00:24:21,292 --> 00:24:24,167 - It was not a place for someone 559 00:24:24,250 --> 00:24:26,083 who had concern about heights. 560 00:24:26,167 --> 00:24:30,042 You look down, it's a significant amount of space-- 561 00:24:30,167 --> 00:24:31,542 60, 70 feet. 562 00:24:31,625 --> 00:24:34,333 - Obviously, getting down safely-- 563 00:24:34,417 --> 00:24:35,667 once you've gotten to the roof 564 00:24:35,750 --> 00:24:37,667 and you've done sort of all the legwork-- 565 00:24:37,708 --> 00:24:39,500 getting down safely is really important. 566 00:24:39,583 --> 00:24:40,917 And so they had to have a system 567 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:42,708 that would afford them that safety. 568 00:24:42,792 --> 00:24:44,208 - So Hossein asked Bac, 569 00:24:44,292 --> 00:24:47,667 "Okay, you've been good so far, but now we need a rope." 570 00:24:47,750 --> 00:24:50,458 ♪ 571 00:24:50,542 --> 00:24:51,417 - This time the tools 572 00:24:51,542 --> 00:24:52,917 they will need will require 573 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:55,958 the highest level of connections. 574 00:24:56,083 --> 00:24:58,458 - The last step of this equation to freedom, 575 00:24:58,542 --> 00:24:59,833 again, is relying on Bac. 576 00:24:59,875 --> 00:25:02,958 And Bac has been good so far, but you never know. 577 00:25:03,042 --> 00:25:06,042 - If Bac comes up short on securing a rope, 578 00:25:06,125 --> 00:25:09,208 then all of their hard work will be for nothing. 579 00:25:09,208 --> 00:25:11,833 Authorities have never been able to crack 580 00:25:11,917 --> 00:25:14,500 the exact methods used to smuggle in 581 00:25:14,583 --> 00:25:16,708 such an important set of tools. 582 00:25:16,792 --> 00:25:20,750 But with free access to the rooftop of the prison, 583 00:25:20,833 --> 00:25:23,208 a whole new world of possibilities 584 00:25:23,333 --> 00:25:25,417 are opened for the fixer. 585 00:25:25,542 --> 00:25:26,917 - One of the operating theories on this one 586 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:28,583 is that these guys were actually able to get 587 00:25:28,667 --> 00:25:30,708 supplies from drones. 588 00:25:30,792 --> 00:25:33,542 - Be it from drones, corrupt prison staff, 589 00:25:33,667 --> 00:25:35,833 or highly connected gang members, 590 00:25:35,917 --> 00:25:39,333 Bac manages to pull off his biggest fix yet. 591 00:25:39,458 --> 00:25:41,000 - Bac, to his credit, 592 00:25:41,042 --> 00:25:42,833 he makes it happen one final time, 593 00:25:42,875 --> 00:25:45,292 and now they're ready to try their escape. 594 00:25:45,375 --> 00:25:49,750 ♪ 595 00:25:49,833 --> 00:25:52,167 - Everything is set. 596 00:25:52,250 --> 00:25:54,000 The path is clear. 597 00:25:54,042 --> 00:25:55,458 Tomorrow night 598 00:25:55,542 --> 00:25:58,417 the three men will literally put their lives on the line 599 00:25:58,500 --> 00:26:00,708 in their quest for freedom. 600 00:26:00,792 --> 00:26:05,208 ♪ 601 00:26:09,375 --> 00:26:12,417 [dramatic music] 602 00:26:12,500 --> 00:26:17,333 - Six months after they began sawing out of the holding tank 603 00:26:17,417 --> 00:26:20,125 in the Orange County Men's Jail, 604 00:26:20,208 --> 00:26:22,833 inmates Hossein Nayeri, 605 00:26:22,958 --> 00:26:26,542 Jonathan Tieu, and Bac Duong 606 00:26:26,625 --> 00:26:28,625 are ready to make or break for it. 607 00:26:28,708 --> 00:26:30,333 The plan-- 608 00:26:30,333 --> 00:26:33,375 sneak out of the tank through the utility corridor, 609 00:26:33,458 --> 00:26:35,500 up an air vent to the roof, 610 00:26:35,583 --> 00:26:37,708 and then down five stories 611 00:26:37,792 --> 00:26:40,250 into the middle of a major urban area. 612 00:26:40,333 --> 00:26:43,833 A million things could go wrong, 613 00:26:43,875 --> 00:26:46,542 but they're willing to risk it all 614 00:26:46,667 --> 00:26:48,708 for a chance at freedom. 615 00:26:48,833 --> 00:26:49,833 - So now it's the night. 616 00:26:49,958 --> 00:26:52,167 This is the night that Jonathan Tieu, 617 00:26:52,250 --> 00:26:55,833 Hossein Nayeri, and Bac Duong are going to escape. 618 00:26:55,875 --> 00:26:59,375 - That evening, the escapees set their plan into action, 619 00:26:59,458 --> 00:27:01,500 consequences be damned. 620 00:27:01,542 --> 00:27:03,333 - They have two checks every day-- 621 00:27:03,417 --> 00:27:04,958 one at 5:00 a.m. 622 00:27:05,042 --> 00:27:07,167 and one at 8:00 p.m. at night. 623 00:27:07,208 --> 00:27:09,333 - If you're going to escape the Orange County Jail, 624 00:27:09,375 --> 00:27:10,958 it has to be under cover of night 625 00:27:11,042 --> 00:27:13,500 because it's right next to federal buildings. 626 00:27:13,583 --> 00:27:15,667 It's right next to coffee shops 627 00:27:15,708 --> 00:27:17,583 and the downtown area of Santa Ana. 628 00:27:17,708 --> 00:27:19,500 So you're going to have to do it at night. 629 00:27:19,583 --> 00:27:21,125 And so that's exactly what they do. 630 00:27:21,125 --> 00:27:22,667 Instead of doing it at the 5:00 a.m. call, 631 00:27:22,750 --> 00:27:24,583 they do it right after the 8:00 p.m. call. 632 00:27:24,667 --> 00:27:26,833 After that, it's go time. 633 00:27:26,875 --> 00:27:31,833 ♪ 634 00:27:31,958 --> 00:27:34,167 - They left after the 8:00 census count. 635 00:27:34,250 --> 00:27:37,167 That would give them all the way till 5:00 in the morning 636 00:27:37,333 --> 00:27:39,375 before staff would know. 637 00:27:39,458 --> 00:27:44,833 ♪ 638 00:27:44,958 --> 00:27:48,500 So, one by one, each man squeezes through the gate 639 00:27:48,542 --> 00:27:50,917 and into the walls of the jail. 640 00:27:51,042 --> 00:27:52,042 ♪ 641 00:27:52,125 --> 00:27:54,083 - Once they get out of that ventilator, 642 00:27:54,167 --> 00:27:58,250 it's a short walk to the edge of the roof. 643 00:27:58,375 --> 00:28:00,750 They must have been able to tell at that point, 644 00:28:00,833 --> 00:28:02,458 they were almost home free. 645 00:28:02,542 --> 00:28:06,000 - As the three absconders approach their final obstacle 646 00:28:06,042 --> 00:28:08,667 between the confines of the Orange County Jail 647 00:28:08,792 --> 00:28:10,583 and the free world beneath them, 648 00:28:10,667 --> 00:28:13,625 the gravity of the situation grows heavy. 649 00:28:13,708 --> 00:28:20,167 ♪ 650 00:28:20,250 --> 00:28:24,250 - The roof is approximately 5 stories high-- 651 00:28:24,375 --> 00:28:27,042 60 to 75 feet off the ground. 652 00:28:27,125 --> 00:28:29,042 [chuckles] That's a long way down. 653 00:28:29,125 --> 00:28:31,125 - The last bit of the plan, 654 00:28:31,208 --> 00:28:33,667 get to the ledge and get down the side, 655 00:28:33,750 --> 00:28:36,750 all hinged on one thing... 656 00:28:36,875 --> 00:28:39,250 will this rope hold? 657 00:28:39,333 --> 00:28:42,250 They faced almost certain death. 658 00:28:42,375 --> 00:28:45,792 - This isn't you climbing down the wall at your local gym. 659 00:28:45,875 --> 00:28:49,708 This is you going down 60 to 70 feet from a jail, 660 00:28:49,792 --> 00:28:51,625 with a pulley system that you're really going 661 00:28:51,708 --> 00:28:53,750 to finally try out for the first time. 662 00:28:53,833 --> 00:28:55,875 You've never had the chance to practice. 663 00:28:55,958 --> 00:28:58,917 It's just one and done, or one and you're dead. 664 00:28:59,042 --> 00:29:02,333 - Not only was it going to hold once, 665 00:29:02,417 --> 00:29:04,500 it had to hold three times, 666 00:29:04,583 --> 00:29:05,958 and it had to hold 667 00:29:06,042 --> 00:29:08,625 to whatever they had tied it up against 668 00:29:08,708 --> 00:29:10,167 on the roof of the jail. 669 00:29:10,250 --> 00:29:12,833 They were facing horrible injuries 670 00:29:12,875 --> 00:29:14,167 if this thing went wrong. 671 00:29:14,250 --> 00:29:16,667 So imagine standing on the ledge 672 00:29:16,708 --> 00:29:19,292 and being the first one over the side, 673 00:29:19,375 --> 00:29:20,708 counting on that rope, 674 00:29:20,833 --> 00:29:22,958 because they had to go five stories down, 675 00:29:23,042 --> 00:29:25,458 and when they landed, they were right in front 676 00:29:25,542 --> 00:29:27,958 of the Orange County Sheriff's Department. 677 00:29:28,042 --> 00:29:29,833 - Clearly, what's going through the mind 678 00:29:29,917 --> 00:29:31,667 of somebody like this is they are saying, 679 00:29:31,708 --> 00:29:33,750 "There's nothing going to get in my way. 680 00:29:33,875 --> 00:29:36,583 "I would rather die trying to escape 681 00:29:36,667 --> 00:29:38,333 "than face life in prison, 682 00:29:38,417 --> 00:29:40,875 where I'll never get that opportunity again." 683 00:29:41,000 --> 00:29:42,833 They're going all-in. 684 00:29:42,917 --> 00:29:45,333 There's no turning back from their decision, 685 00:29:45,417 --> 00:29:46,792 and they know it. 686 00:29:46,875 --> 00:29:49,583 So, one by one, they start making their way down, 687 00:29:49,708 --> 00:29:51,708 the smallest to the biggest. 688 00:29:51,833 --> 00:29:54,375 - Jonathan Tieu makes it all the way down. 689 00:29:54,500 --> 00:29:57,583 They had to feel really good about their chances 690 00:29:57,667 --> 00:29:59,000 at that point. 691 00:29:59,083 --> 00:30:01,667 Duong goes second. He makes it down. 692 00:30:01,750 --> 00:30:03,667 - Nayeri has been the architect 693 00:30:03,708 --> 00:30:05,167 of a flawless escape plan. 694 00:30:05,250 --> 00:30:08,708 His accomplices are officially free men. 695 00:30:08,833 --> 00:30:11,750 Five stories below his feet, freedom awaits. 696 00:30:11,833 --> 00:30:14,667 But he must move quickly to avoid being spotted 697 00:30:14,750 --> 00:30:17,333 rappelling down the side of a jail. 698 00:30:17,417 --> 00:30:18,875 - As Nayeri, the last guy, 699 00:30:18,875 --> 00:30:21,458 is rappelling down the side of the building, 700 00:30:21,542 --> 00:30:23,667 two sheriffs 701 00:30:23,750 --> 00:30:25,333 from the Orange County Sheriff's Department 702 00:30:25,375 --> 00:30:27,667 come outside to have a cigarette break. 703 00:30:27,750 --> 00:30:29,167 ♪ 704 00:30:29,250 --> 00:30:31,000 Nayeri stops. 705 00:30:31,125 --> 00:30:34,792 He hangs in midair, holds his breath. 706 00:30:34,875 --> 00:30:36,542 - If he sneezes, 707 00:30:36,625 --> 00:30:39,167 if the wind blows and he hits the wall and they look up, 708 00:30:39,250 --> 00:30:41,125 his plan is completely foiled. 709 00:30:41,208 --> 00:30:44,167 - Trapped in midair, frozen with fear, 710 00:30:44,250 --> 00:30:49,167 all Nayeri can do is watch and wait. 711 00:30:49,292 --> 00:30:52,792 His chance at freedom hangs in the balance. 712 00:30:52,875 --> 00:30:56,083 ♪ 713 00:31:00,750 --> 00:31:02,667 - Hossein Nayeri's two accomplices 714 00:31:02,750 --> 00:31:05,167 leave him hanging... 715 00:31:05,250 --> 00:31:06,875 literally. 716 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,458 Just moments ago, Jonathan Tieu and Bac Duong 717 00:31:10,542 --> 00:31:13,667 rappelled down the side of the Orange County Men's Jail 718 00:31:13,750 --> 00:31:15,792 and disappeared into the darkness. 719 00:31:15,875 --> 00:31:18,167 But as Nayeri makes his way down, 720 00:31:18,208 --> 00:31:19,833 two officers emerge from the building 721 00:31:19,958 --> 00:31:21,417 for a smoke break. 722 00:31:21,500 --> 00:31:23,708 Just one casual glance up, 723 00:31:23,792 --> 00:31:26,833 and his chances at freedom are over. 724 00:31:26,875 --> 00:31:29,708 [dramatic music] 725 00:31:29,792 --> 00:31:32,208 ♪ 726 00:31:32,208 --> 00:31:33,708 - Ultimately, the guards finished, 727 00:31:33,833 --> 00:31:35,042 went back into the building. 728 00:31:35,125 --> 00:31:36,958 He was able to lower himself down 729 00:31:37,042 --> 00:31:38,333 and take off from there. 730 00:31:38,417 --> 00:31:40,333 ♪ 731 00:31:40,375 --> 00:31:43,708 - The three fugitives rendezvous outside the jail. 732 00:31:43,833 --> 00:31:45,208 - So now everyone's ready to escape, 733 00:31:45,333 --> 00:31:47,000 but it's Jonathan's turn now 734 00:31:47,083 --> 00:31:49,333 to start stepping up as the good soldier that he is. 735 00:31:49,417 --> 00:31:51,083 So he already made the connections 736 00:31:51,208 --> 00:31:52,667 with his gang members. 737 00:31:52,750 --> 00:31:54,333 - One of Jonathan's connections 738 00:31:54,375 --> 00:31:58,167 has hidden a package containing $900 and a gun 739 00:31:58,250 --> 00:32:00,333 in the surrounding neighborhood. 740 00:32:00,417 --> 00:32:07,167 ♪ 741 00:32:07,250 --> 00:32:09,000 They figure they have about five hours 742 00:32:09,042 --> 00:32:10,458 until morning headcount 743 00:32:10,542 --> 00:32:13,250 to get themselves set up on the outside. 744 00:32:13,333 --> 00:32:17,833 So they decide to go shopping for new clothes and supplies. 745 00:32:17,917 --> 00:32:20,208 But first, they need a ride. 746 00:32:20,292 --> 00:32:23,667 - Bac calls up a cab company. 747 00:32:23,708 --> 00:32:25,458 He gets in contact with Long Ma. 748 00:32:25,542 --> 00:32:28,583 He's this 71-year-old man, has his own cab company. 749 00:32:28,708 --> 00:32:32,083 The guys tell Long Ma, "Hey, can you take us to a Walmart?" 750 00:32:32,167 --> 00:32:34,667 And when they come back, they have bags of clothes, 751 00:32:34,750 --> 00:32:35,875 they have bags of material, 752 00:32:35,958 --> 00:32:37,833 they have a bottle of whiskey, too. 753 00:32:37,917 --> 00:32:41,500 - Then the three escapees make a decision that will impact 754 00:32:41,542 --> 00:32:43,375 the rest of their lives. 755 00:32:43,458 --> 00:32:44,875 ♪ 756 00:32:45,000 --> 00:32:47,958 - They held a gun to his stomach and said, 757 00:32:48,042 --> 00:32:49,500 "You've got to take us away." 758 00:32:49,583 --> 00:32:53,750 - Long Ma's simple cab fare has turned into a nightmare. 759 00:32:53,875 --> 00:32:56,958 - Orange County is about two hours from the Mexican border, 760 00:32:57,042 --> 00:32:59,042 and Mexico has diplomatic relations 761 00:32:59,125 --> 00:33:00,833 with the Islamic Republic of Iran. 762 00:33:00,958 --> 00:33:03,208 All they need to do is cross into Mexico. 763 00:33:03,292 --> 00:33:05,042 He'd be able to make his way back to Iran, 764 00:33:05,125 --> 00:33:06,750 which was never going to extradite 765 00:33:06,833 --> 00:33:08,083 back to the United States. 766 00:33:08,208 --> 00:33:09,583 - If Nayeri and his accomplices 767 00:33:09,667 --> 00:33:12,000 make the two-hour trip south across the border, 768 00:33:12,125 --> 00:33:14,208 the three men will escape justice. 769 00:33:14,292 --> 00:33:16,667 But Nayeri, Bac, and Jonathan 770 00:33:16,708 --> 00:33:21,500 seem to be more interested in a road trip? 771 00:33:21,583 --> 00:33:25,500 - They forced the driver to take them 400 miles north 772 00:33:25,500 --> 00:33:26,833 to the Bay Area. 773 00:33:26,917 --> 00:33:30,958 ♪ 774 00:33:31,042 --> 00:33:34,000 In the early-morning hours of January 22nd, 775 00:33:34,042 --> 00:33:37,500 Hossein, Jonathan, and Bac are free. 776 00:33:37,542 --> 00:33:41,417 But bed check is still going on at the Orange County Jail. 777 00:33:41,500 --> 00:33:45,833 Somehow they get a compatriot inside to answer for them 778 00:33:45,958 --> 00:33:47,333 during that bed check. 779 00:33:47,417 --> 00:33:50,125 And then it isn't for 15 more hours, 780 00:33:50,208 --> 00:33:52,000 the 8:00-at-night bed check, 781 00:33:52,083 --> 00:33:54,250 when they are found to be missing. 782 00:33:54,333 --> 00:33:58,042 - Then all hell breaks loose. 783 00:33:58,125 --> 00:34:00,542 - At that point, it becomes all hands on deck, 784 00:34:00,625 --> 00:34:02,375 where the staff members are going to order 785 00:34:02,458 --> 00:34:04,500 the people serving time in the jail 786 00:34:04,583 --> 00:34:07,125 to stay on their bunk and not move. 787 00:34:07,208 --> 00:34:08,292 The staff members then 788 00:34:08,375 --> 00:34:10,417 are going to begin scouring the jail, 789 00:34:10,542 --> 00:34:12,000 looking everywhere. 790 00:34:12,083 --> 00:34:14,500 And it was that search that led the staff members 791 00:34:14,583 --> 00:34:18,000 to find the vent and to begin their search 792 00:34:18,083 --> 00:34:20,875 of looking inside of all of the walls of the jails, 793 00:34:20,958 --> 00:34:24,000 looking on the roof, looking on the surrounding areas, 794 00:34:24,083 --> 00:34:26,250 trying to find the three escapees. 795 00:34:26,333 --> 00:34:28,292 - So the Orange County Sheriff's Department, 796 00:34:28,375 --> 00:34:30,042 the Orange County Jail crew 797 00:34:30,125 --> 00:34:31,875 had a huge problem on their hands. 798 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:33,583 There are three guys, 799 00:34:33,667 --> 00:34:36,000 armed and dangerous, on the street. 800 00:34:36,125 --> 00:34:40,167 250 officers were assigned on jailbreak detail. 801 00:34:40,250 --> 00:34:41,917 The Orange County Sheriff's Department 802 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:44,292 made the unusual step 803 00:34:44,375 --> 00:34:46,500 of seeking out help through the media. 804 00:34:46,583 --> 00:34:48,667 - The inmates are unaccounted for and have escaped. 805 00:34:48,792 --> 00:34:52,208 - Everybody's interested, from New York to Seattle, 806 00:34:52,292 --> 00:34:54,292 on these three people that escaped from prison 807 00:34:54,375 --> 00:34:56,000 because they're three violent people. 808 00:34:56,083 --> 00:34:58,042 - Desperately in need of tips, 809 00:34:58,125 --> 00:35:01,667 law enforcement established a reward. 810 00:35:01,708 --> 00:35:05,958 So what we've got now is a nationwide manhunt. 811 00:35:06,042 --> 00:35:12,667 ♪ 812 00:35:12,750 --> 00:35:16,333 - Holed up in a seedy motel in San Jose, California, 813 00:35:16,458 --> 00:35:18,167 the three men are enjoying 814 00:35:18,250 --> 00:35:20,000 their little impromptu vacation 815 00:35:20,042 --> 00:35:21,625 when the reports of their escape 816 00:35:21,708 --> 00:35:24,500 are plastered across their TV screen. 817 00:35:24,542 --> 00:35:26,500 - They're seeing themselves on television, 818 00:35:26,583 --> 00:35:28,375 and they're kind of proud of what they're doing 819 00:35:28,458 --> 00:35:29,792 'cause right now the story's huge. 820 00:35:29,875 --> 00:35:31,667 So they're cheering, 821 00:35:31,708 --> 00:35:33,625 they're applauding, they're laughing. 822 00:35:33,708 --> 00:35:35,833 "Hey, we're on the television! Yeah, people know who we are! 823 00:35:35,917 --> 00:35:37,000 Yeah!" 824 00:35:37,083 --> 00:35:38,667 - It kind of made them proud 825 00:35:38,750 --> 00:35:41,833 that they had got such national attention 826 00:35:41,917 --> 00:35:44,083 from this escape. 827 00:35:44,167 --> 00:35:45,417 - But after the buzz 828 00:35:45,500 --> 00:35:48,417 of newfound freedom and alcohol wears off, 829 00:35:48,542 --> 00:35:51,000 Nayeri realizes how much more difficult 830 00:35:51,042 --> 00:35:53,167 this is going to make their escape. 831 00:35:53,292 --> 00:35:56,125 He decides that they need a new vehicle 832 00:35:56,208 --> 00:35:57,833 to help cover their tracks. 833 00:35:57,958 --> 00:35:59,667 However, they have already run 834 00:35:59,708 --> 00:36:02,167 through a lot of their $900 stake. 835 00:36:02,333 --> 00:36:05,500 But then again, they are criminals. 836 00:36:05,583 --> 00:36:07,917 - So Bac, 'cause he's the resourceful one, 837 00:36:08,000 --> 00:36:09,625 he's the fixer-- 838 00:36:09,708 --> 00:36:12,708 he goes on Craigslist, and he finds for sale this white van. 839 00:36:12,792 --> 00:36:16,000 So he calls the people up, and they go out and test it, 840 00:36:16,083 --> 00:36:18,667 and they just never give it back to them. 841 00:36:18,708 --> 00:36:22,208 - And there was another loose end Nayeri wants to tie up. 842 00:36:22,292 --> 00:36:24,667 - Now Hossein's dark side starts coming out. 843 00:36:24,708 --> 00:36:27,500 He realizes, "We can't have any witnesses to what we did. 844 00:36:27,667 --> 00:36:30,667 Long Ma is a witness. Long Ma needs to be killed." 845 00:36:30,708 --> 00:36:32,458 - They kept a hostage, 846 00:36:32,542 --> 00:36:36,958 which increased the likelihood that they would get caught. 847 00:36:37,042 --> 00:36:41,458 But what two of them decided to do was kill the taxi driver. 848 00:36:41,542 --> 00:36:44,458 - But the feeling isn't unanimous. 849 00:36:44,542 --> 00:36:46,583 And now the soldier is not ready 850 00:36:46,667 --> 00:36:49,000 to keep taking orders from the captain. 851 00:36:49,167 --> 00:36:51,083 It's one thing to kidnap. 852 00:36:51,208 --> 00:36:53,500 It's another thing to kill someone, 853 00:36:53,625 --> 00:36:56,542 at least that's how Duong sees it. 854 00:36:56,625 --> 00:37:00,167 - Once they decided to kill the taxi driver, 855 00:37:00,250 --> 00:37:01,833 Duong wasn't having it anymore. 856 00:37:01,875 --> 00:37:04,292 He had developed a relationship with this guy. 857 00:37:04,375 --> 00:37:07,167 The guy reminded him of a favorite uncle. 858 00:37:07,250 --> 00:37:10,750 Duong and Nayeri get in a fistfight. 859 00:37:10,833 --> 00:37:13,417 - Hossein is a wrestler. He's younger than Bac. 860 00:37:13,542 --> 00:37:16,333 He's way more fit than Bac. He's bigger than Bac. 861 00:37:16,500 --> 00:37:18,875 - The third escapee, Jonathan Tieu, 862 00:37:18,958 --> 00:37:20,500 watches from the sidelines, 863 00:37:20,583 --> 00:37:22,792 knowing that his chance at freedom 864 00:37:22,875 --> 00:37:24,792 hangs on the outcome. 865 00:37:24,875 --> 00:37:26,375 Long Ma watches as well. 866 00:37:26,458 --> 00:37:29,000 But for him, the stakes are even higher. 867 00:37:29,125 --> 00:37:31,833 In fact, they are life and death. 868 00:37:36,750 --> 00:37:37,792 - Holed up in a motel 869 00:37:37,875 --> 00:37:41,000 with their faces plastered all over the news, 870 00:37:41,042 --> 00:37:43,750 a split forms among the escapees. 871 00:37:43,833 --> 00:37:45,458 [dramatic music] 872 00:37:45,542 --> 00:37:47,417 Hossein Nayeri and Jonathan Tieu 873 00:37:47,500 --> 00:37:50,333 want to kill their only witness, Long Ma, 874 00:37:50,375 --> 00:37:52,625 a cab driver whom they've kidnapped. 875 00:37:52,708 --> 00:37:56,583 But Bac Duong has formed a bond with Ma 876 00:37:56,708 --> 00:37:59,333 and refuses to go along with the plan. 877 00:37:59,458 --> 00:38:03,125 So Nayeri and Duong battle it out to determine 878 00:38:03,208 --> 00:38:06,417 whether Long Ma lives or dies. 879 00:38:06,542 --> 00:38:08,000 - The fight goes nowhere, 880 00:38:08,042 --> 00:38:11,208 because Hossein has every advantage over Bac. 881 00:38:11,333 --> 00:38:14,042 - Duong gets the crap beaten out of him. 882 00:38:14,125 --> 00:38:18,667 - Incredibly, Duong loses the battle but wins the war. 883 00:38:18,750 --> 00:38:21,333 - Nayeri goes from, "I'm going to kill this guy," 884 00:38:21,417 --> 00:38:22,833 to, "I'm going to let him live." 885 00:38:22,958 --> 00:38:24,375 - Long Ma is relieved. 886 00:38:24,500 --> 00:38:26,667 But Bac can't help thinking 887 00:38:26,750 --> 00:38:28,875 the reprieve is only temporary. 888 00:38:28,958 --> 00:38:33,792 ♪ 889 00:38:33,875 --> 00:38:36,292 - The following morning, Hossein and Jonathan, 890 00:38:36,375 --> 00:38:37,583 they decide to leave the motel 891 00:38:37,667 --> 00:38:39,875 to get the windows tinted on the van, 892 00:38:39,875 --> 00:38:42,167 and that gives Bac the opportunity. 893 00:38:42,208 --> 00:38:45,000 He goes to Long and he tells him, "Uncle, we need to leave. 894 00:38:45,125 --> 00:38:46,542 "They want to kill you. 895 00:38:46,625 --> 00:38:49,125 We need to leave, and we need to leave now." 896 00:38:49,208 --> 00:38:52,667 - Nayeri and Tieu left the motel. 897 00:38:52,750 --> 00:38:54,500 They took the white GMC van. 898 00:38:54,583 --> 00:38:58,792 And when they were gone, Duong and Ma, the taxi driver, 899 00:38:58,875 --> 00:38:59,958 escaped. 900 00:39:00,042 --> 00:39:01,500 ♪ 901 00:39:01,583 --> 00:39:04,042 - Bac Duong decided he was going to come back 902 00:39:04,125 --> 00:39:06,333 to Orange County and turn himself in. 903 00:39:06,458 --> 00:39:09,333 - When Nayeri and Tieu return to the motel 904 00:39:09,417 --> 00:39:11,958 to find Duong and Long Ma missing... 905 00:39:12,042 --> 00:39:13,250 ♪ 906 00:39:13,250 --> 00:39:15,083 They gather all their belongings, 907 00:39:15,167 --> 00:39:17,667 hop in the van, and head west. 908 00:39:17,750 --> 00:39:20,667 ♪ 909 00:39:20,708 --> 00:39:23,542 Running low on cash and places to hide, 910 00:39:23,625 --> 00:39:25,542 the two remaining escapees 911 00:39:25,625 --> 00:39:29,333 have gone from prisoners in a cell to prisoners in a van. 912 00:39:29,375 --> 00:39:31,208 - When Jonathan and Hossein 913 00:39:31,333 --> 00:39:34,292 realize that Bac and Long had left, 914 00:39:34,375 --> 00:39:36,583 they know now their time to escape 915 00:39:36,667 --> 00:39:38,500 is even shorter than ever before 916 00:39:38,583 --> 00:39:40,208 'cause part of the equation is gone now. 917 00:39:40,292 --> 00:39:42,167 They now know that they're probably going 918 00:39:42,250 --> 00:39:44,208 to be cooperating with law enforcement. 919 00:39:44,292 --> 00:39:45,708 - At this point, law enforcement 920 00:39:45,833 --> 00:39:48,625 has completely lost the trail of the three escapees, 921 00:39:48,708 --> 00:39:52,542 but a split in the ranks and a moral dilemma from Bac Duong 922 00:39:52,625 --> 00:39:55,542 might just be the break authorities need. 923 00:39:55,708 --> 00:39:58,292 - I know Hossein Nayeri. I know how smart he is. 924 00:39:58,375 --> 00:39:59,875 And I'm thinking, "There's no way 925 00:39:59,958 --> 00:40:01,958 he is not back in Iran by now." 926 00:40:02,042 --> 00:40:03,125 And then we get a tip. 927 00:40:03,208 --> 00:40:04,458 ♪ 928 00:40:04,542 --> 00:40:06,750 - So Duong and the taxi driver, Long Ma, 929 00:40:06,833 --> 00:40:09,208 have made it away from San Jose, 930 00:40:09,333 --> 00:40:11,458 back to their home in Orange County, 931 00:40:11,542 --> 00:40:13,750 when they stop at a hardware store. 932 00:40:13,750 --> 00:40:18,333 He walks inside and tells people in that hardware store, 933 00:40:18,458 --> 00:40:19,625 "Call the police." 934 00:40:19,708 --> 00:40:23,667 ♪ 935 00:40:23,750 --> 00:40:27,500 - Bac and the taxicab driver had this plan 936 00:40:27,542 --> 00:40:29,083 that they would turn themselves in 937 00:40:29,167 --> 00:40:30,417 and get the reward money. 938 00:40:30,500 --> 00:40:33,125 And so that's what they attempted to do, 939 00:40:33,208 --> 00:40:36,167 as the only person in history who ever tried to collect 940 00:40:36,250 --> 00:40:38,333 a reward on himself. 941 00:40:38,417 --> 00:40:40,333 - The fixer that Nayeri 942 00:40:40,417 --> 00:40:43,000 had cautiously come to trust with his life 943 00:40:43,042 --> 00:40:45,958 has now ratted out his former confederates, 944 00:40:46,042 --> 00:40:49,333 giving up the location and the details of the van 945 00:40:49,375 --> 00:40:51,875 that Nayeri and Tieu are traveling in. 946 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:54,417 - They knew Bac, when he got to Orange County, 947 00:40:54,500 --> 00:40:56,375 was going to spill what was going on 948 00:40:56,458 --> 00:40:57,708 and where they were, et cetera. 949 00:40:57,792 --> 00:40:59,333 And so because of all that, 950 00:40:59,458 --> 00:41:01,417 I know the feeling inside that van was, 951 00:41:01,500 --> 00:41:03,042 "It's just a matter of time." 952 00:41:03,125 --> 00:41:07,500 ♪ 953 00:41:07,583 --> 00:41:09,042 - They're in the stolen white van. 954 00:41:09,125 --> 00:41:11,333 They're in the Park District of San Francisco 955 00:41:11,375 --> 00:41:12,875 near a Whole Foods Market 956 00:41:12,958 --> 00:41:15,125 when a homeless man named Matthew Chapman 957 00:41:15,208 --> 00:41:18,500 recognizes the van that he's seen on television. 958 00:41:18,625 --> 00:41:22,083 - Within minutes, officers approach the van. 959 00:41:22,083 --> 00:41:23,333 ♪ 960 00:41:23,375 --> 00:41:25,042 - Jonathan gives up without a fight, 961 00:41:25,167 --> 00:41:27,583 but Hossein tries one more time to escape. 962 00:41:27,667 --> 00:41:29,667 He starts running away from the police. 963 00:41:29,750 --> 00:41:31,167 He's not going to go off to Iran. 964 00:41:31,208 --> 00:41:33,000 He's not going to be able to escape his crimes. 965 00:41:33,042 --> 00:41:34,833 He can't even escape a parking lot. 966 00:41:34,875 --> 00:41:36,333 He is tackled. 967 00:41:36,417 --> 00:41:38,667 Once they catch up, it's over for him. 968 00:41:38,750 --> 00:41:42,375 ♪ 969 00:41:42,458 --> 00:41:44,708 - The men are taken back into custody 970 00:41:44,792 --> 00:41:47,333 to face justice for their crimes. 971 00:41:47,458 --> 00:41:48,958 At the Orange County Men's Jail, 972 00:41:49,042 --> 00:41:51,167 serious reforms are put in place 973 00:41:51,250 --> 00:41:54,708 to ensure an escape like this never happens again. 974 00:41:54,792 --> 00:41:57,042 - As a result of the escape, 975 00:41:57,125 --> 00:42:00,458 I know that the then-sheriff came under fire 976 00:42:00,542 --> 00:42:03,208 for procedures maybe that were outdated 977 00:42:03,292 --> 00:42:07,000 in terms of how they kept track of inside the jail 978 00:42:07,042 --> 00:42:10,042 and inmates' locations, and things like that. 979 00:42:10,125 --> 00:42:11,917 I know a number of changes 980 00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:15,167 went into place because of the case. 981 00:42:15,208 --> 00:42:19,292 - The Orange County Men's Jail has hardened its defenses 982 00:42:19,375 --> 00:42:24,000 with motion-detection cameras in the utility corridor. 983 00:42:24,125 --> 00:42:28,125 Prisoner badges can be tracked through radio signals. 984 00:42:28,208 --> 00:42:31,167 They even have a cell-phone-sniffing dog. 985 00:42:31,292 --> 00:42:32,542 ♪ 986 00:42:32,667 --> 00:42:35,125 As for the escapees themselves, 987 00:42:35,208 --> 00:42:37,333 Bac Duong was sentenced to 20 years in prison 988 00:42:37,417 --> 00:42:40,500 for attempted murder and his part in the escape. 989 00:42:40,583 --> 00:42:42,833 Jonathan Tieu and Hossein Nayeri 990 00:42:42,875 --> 00:42:45,458 are still awaiting trial for the prison break. 991 00:42:45,542 --> 00:42:47,917 But for the mastermind, Nayeri, 992 00:42:48,000 --> 00:42:50,458 the trial will be a moot point. 993 00:42:50,542 --> 00:42:52,833 He was convicted for his previous crimes 994 00:42:52,917 --> 00:42:54,917 and sentenced to life in prison 995 00:42:55,000 --> 00:42:58,750 without the possibility of parole. 996 00:42:58,875 --> 00:43:03,167 Unless Nayeri can pull off another daring escape, 997 00:43:03,208 --> 00:43:06,667 he will never see life on the outside again.