Prisoner calls 911, reports escape attempt to police

An Oklahoma prisoner who became a passenger in his fellow inmates' escape attempt decided he wasn't interested in breaking free when he called 911 to report the jailbreak.

Associated Press reported Joshua Silverman, who has been convicted of bail jumping, drug manufacturing and disorderly conduct, was in a prison transport van with others when it stopped at a hospital in Weatherford, OK, to drop off sick inmates.

The guards left the vehicle running and unattended, then two of the prisoners, Lester Burns and Michael Coleman, kicked their way to the front of the van and drove off, authorities told the Associated Press.

The escapees soon fled the van, leaving it parked with their reluctant — and seemingly unintentional — accomplices sitting inside. That's when Silverman sought the help of the very law enforcement that landed him in jail, by calling 911, the Associated Press reported, quoting from the Weatherford Police Department's recording of the call.

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"Uh, yes, ma'am, you're probably not going to believe this, but I'm a prisoner in a van, and I'm here with a couple of these other cats," Silverman said. "A couple of the guys that were in the van jacked the van ... at the hospital."

Silverman struggled to identify his whereabouts, but stayed on the phone until police arrived, saying he was trying to avoid any trouble with police.

"I just don't want to get shot by no cops or nothing," he said to the dispatcher, according to the Associated Press.

Police might not have believed it but they certainly appreciated the call; the Associated Press reported authorities tracked down the escaped inmates the same day thanks to Silverman directing them to the parked van.

Police estimated the search for the escaped prisoners cost about $10,000, according to CBS.