Killer, 2 Other Prisoners Escape

A convicted murderer and two other prisoners overpowered their guards early Thursday near Santa Barbara and were believed to be at large in the Los Angeles area, police said.

Gary Meeker, 26, was convicted this year for a murder in the Wilshire area and is armed with a handgun he took from one of the guards, said Los Angeles Police Lt. Michael Melton. The other escapees were identified as Donald Bullock, 49, who was in custody for burglary, and Charles McSwain, 41, who was in custody as a fugitive from Texas and is wanted for grand theft.

The two guards, employed by a private security firm, had been transporting five convicted prisoners in a van from San Diego to the federal prison in Lompoc when they stopped at a service station near Santa Barbara. The other two prisoners did not take part in the escape.

The three escapees locked the guards and the other prisoners in the back of the van, robbed them of cash and began driving back toward Los Angeles.

Bullock and McSwain were last seen at a Gardena hamburger stand, where they apparently hired a motorist to drive them away, Melton said. The van was abandoned near Alameda Street and Firestone Boulevard in Florence.