A convicted felon identified as Leon Ruffin managed to escape custody on Sunday after pepper spraying his transporting deputy and stealing her car, authorities reported. The incident took place in Louisiana, where Sheriff Joseph Lopinto of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office labeled Ruffin as "armed and dangerous" during a press briefing on Sunday night.

Ruffin, who was facing a second-degree murder charge, had been transferred from a medical facility in the corrections center to a local hospital on the advice of the medical team for a possible seizure he suffered. Following treatment at the hospital, Ruffin caused a disturbance as he was being driven out of the hospital parking lot. The suspect pepper sprayed the female deputy after she exited the car, and then proceeded to steal her vehicle.

During the escape, the deputy fired shots at the vehicle in an attempt to stop Ruffin, although it remains unclear whether he was hit. The authorities mentioned they are unaware of how the escaped inmate acquired the pepper spray. The deputy retained her pepper spray, taser, and weapon following the incident.

Authorities have since made contact with the victim's family regarding Ruffin's alleged involvement in the second-degree murder case. Prior to his brief hospital visit, Ruffin had been in the medical unit at the corrections facility, with Sheriff Lopinto expressing skepticism about the seriousness of his reported injuries.