Police Kill Escaped Prisoner in Md.

LAUREL, Md. — Shirtless and shoeless, inmate Kelvin Poke dashed into the bitter cold and toward freedom. He overpowered five guards at the hospital where he was staying yesterday, managing to grab two guns and shoot off his shackles before fleeing. Hijacking two cars, he stayed ahead of the police who were tracking him on a manhunt that spanned suburban Maryland and Washington, D.C. Seven hours later, he traded freedom for his life. Cornered in a cemetery where police spotted him emerging from one of the stolen vehicles, he was killed in a shootout. Poke's escape followed another high-profile escape from the same hospital — Laurel Regional Hospital in Prince George's County. In November, a prisoner fled from there after taking a state trooper's gun and firing shots. He was captured hours later.