Accused domestic abuser escapes while Houston deputies break up brawl during Frank DeLeon murder trial

An inmate managed to free himself from leg shackles and waltz out of a Texas courthouse Tuesday while deputies rushed to break up a brawl that erupted in a neighboring courtroom.

Accused domestic abuser Michael Devon Combs, 32, slipped out of the holding area on the 19th floor of Houston’s criminal courthouse around 10 a.m. after the guards who were supposed to be watching him bolted from the room, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.

The deputies rushed into action to separate a distressed mother and two family members from attacking her daughter’s accused killer, who she believed was “laughing in my face” during an emotional testimony inside a nearby courtroom.

Combs, who is charged with assaulting his girlfriend in a March 2022 attack, was waiting for a court hearing in which his bond was set to be revoked after he allegedly turned off a GPS monitor and failed to pay court fees.

A judge expected to issue a new bond with a higher amount, his attorney Mark Lipkin said.

“I was talking to him and he was pretty upset. And he said he wanted to talk to the judge, and I told him, ‘OK, give me a minute,’” Lipkin said.

The attorney was in the room with Combs when a panic alarm sounded, prompting the deputies to respond to the nearby courtroom, where five people were involved in a vicious brawl.

The family of a murdered 16-year-old girl descended on Frank DeLeon Jr., 19, after he pleaded guilty to shooting her nearly two dozen times while she was walking her dog in January 2022.

Victim Diamond Alvarez’s mother sprinted toward DeLeon after she claimed he was “laughing in her face” as she delivered an emotional victim impact statement.

Combs took the spontaneous opportunity to make a run for it — which Lipkin claims he did not witness because he was speaking to another client on the other side of the room.

“I had my back to him when everything happened. I mean, if I were just able to give him some advice, I would have told him it’s not smart to do that. Don’t do it,” Lipkin said.

“I heard the chain, you know, hitting the metal of the pole where he was shackled to,” said the lawyer, who added that later on he saw “two deputies running through that area. And I found out later that they were chasing this guy.”

It took deputies roughly 15 minutes to realize Combs had freed himself from the shackles, walked out of the courtroom, taken the elevator down and walked out of the building, officials said.

Once outside, the alleged abuser ditched the ankle monitor he had been wearing.

The officers who left Combs alone failed to follow protocol, even as the panic alarm sounded, Harris County Sheriff Maj. Lynette Anderson said.

“Someone should have stayed with him at the time,” she added. 

Authorities warn that Combs should be considered dangerous.