SAN QUENTIN, Calif. --
An escaped San Quentin State Prison inmate was taken into custody Saturday afternoon in San Luis Obispo County following a dayslong manhunt, authorities announced.San Rafael police confirmed to KGO that Shalom Mendoza was apprehended at a Taco Bell in Paso Robles.
Officials reported earlier that Mendoza had been seen at a Dollar Store in San Miguel on Friday around 4:20 p.m. where he purchased dark clothing. The 21-year-old was no longer wearing his prison uniform.
Police across California had been on the lookout for the 21-year-old escaped convict. The 2011 silver Toyota RAV4 with California license plate number 6STZ502 he is believed to have carjacked was found abandoned north of Paso Robles on Friday.
#BREAKING #SanQuentin escapees carjacked Toyota Rav4 located near #PasoRobles , poss. sighting of suspect Shalom Mendoza in nearby San Miguel, CA. pic.twitter.com/83S4gTCBhI
— Cornell Barnard (@CornellBarnard) December 29, 2018
Mendoza was serving a five-year sentence for using a deadly weapon during a carjacking in Los Angeles County, and attempting to evade a peace officer while driving recklessly.
Prison officials have not explained how Mendoza escaped, only saying: "Mendoza was assigned to work outside the security perimeter on a work crew, he took advantage of that and walked away." Before his capture, authorities said they believed he had been headed toward the Los Angeles area.
A source told KGO that the inmate may have been cleaning a sewage pumping station not far from San Quentin's west gate.
