Fugitive Donte Parker captured by EPD after jumping into river again (VIDEO, UPDATED)

After escaping across the Black River while handcuffed nearly six months ago, a fugitive was captured Friday morning by Elyria police after a second escape attempt failed. Police received a report that Donte Jamar Parker II, who was wanted on multiple felonies following an escape from Elyria police in February, was spotted in the area of West 11th Street and Riverside Drive, police Capt. Bill Lantz said. Officers arrived and began searching the area, until they saw Parker fleeing out the back of a residence nearby and chased him by foot westbound on Riverside. Parker tried to elude police by jumping into the Black River, which he had managed to do when originally arrested on Feb. 3. "I guess he figured it worked before," Lantz said. On Friday though, Parker's escape was less successful. A release from Lantz said that Officer John Juker chased Parker down to and across the river. On the opposite bank, Parker went back into the river, "at which point Officer Juker was able to close the distance and tackle Parker." Juker handcuffed Parker and brought him back to a waiting Elyria police cruiser, which transported him to Lorain County Jail, where he remains. Parker is charged with escape, resisting arrest, aggravated robbery, aggravated menacing, unlawful restraint, obstructing official business, having weapons under disability and two charges each of assault and strangulation. Elyria police released Juker's body-worn camera footage on Friday, also posting it on the department Facebook page. In the footage Juker jumps into the river and tackles Parker, Parker continues trying to break away until Juker was able to place handcuffs on him while still in the river. As they walk back to the bank of the river, both breathing heavily, Parker appears to say "Nice running." "That was good, you got my cardio in," Juker replies. Juker tells Parker to sit on the bank of the river as he tries to tell fellow officers where he is, with some difficulty as they reply that his recently-submerged radio is not working properly. After catching his breath, Parker asks Juker "How'd you get me?" Juker tells Parker that he was spotted walking on 8th Street and then Riverside Drive. This would mean that Parker had tried to escape across the West Branch of the Black River. When he had successfully escaped previously, it was from an apartment building against the East Branch across from the BASF chemical plant. "Hey listen, my mom ain't got nothing to do with nothing, she didn't even know I was at home," Parker says, adding that he had just been walking to her home when police spotted him. The Chronicle spoke to Parker's mother, Tonya Charlton, in February after he son's escape. She said at the time that she feared he may have gone into the then-frozen Black River and drowned. Police said shortly after that they believed Parker was still alive and were actively searching for him. On the body camera footage, Parker asks Juker to remove his socks, saying he can't lift his legs because he is "too drained." Juker obliges, and then says "That was a good run." "I just wanna lay down," Parker says. Other officers arrive after Juker and Parker were alone together for about five minutes, and Juker tells Parker to stand to go back. Parker asks if they can go back across the river and Juker says no, but Parker asks "Can I get wet then, first?" "No, come on, stand up. We got wet enough," Juker says. Police first attempted to arrest Parker on a felony warrant on Feb. 3 at an apartment on Washington Avenue, finding him hiding under a bed with a gun, which was illegal for him to have as a felon. While handcuffed, Parker broke away from officers and ran, jumping into and escaping across the Black River. Elyria police, along with sheriff's deputies and the North Ridgeville police K-9 unit, set up a perimeter, but were unable to find him. The search for Parker and Petra Pintar, 20, believed to be his girlfriend, was extended to the Flint, Michigan, area. Pintar had been reported missing by her family shortly after the Washington Avenue incident. She turned herself in to police in April and faces charges of failure to comply and obstruction. Lantz credited Juker's pursuit of Parker across the Black River with ensuring that Parker didn't slip away again. "Officer Juker's persistence and determination led to the safe apprehension of a violent fugitive who posed a significant threat to our community," Lantz said in a release. "His commitment reflects the dedication of the Elyria Police Department to public safety and the pursuit of justice." Contact Owen MacMillan at (440) 329-7123 or omacmillan@chroniclet.com.