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An American fugitive who fled in handcuffs from a police truck in Phuket earlier this week was caught on Thursday after spending three nights hiding in the long grass.

28-year-old Ezekiel Shiloni Dolcide from Florida leapt from the open door of a van on Monday afternoon while being transferred between stations.

Following a tip-off from a local in Rawai about a man hiding out in an overgrown plot of land police soon had Ezekiel back in custody as he was too exhausted to attempt another getaway.

He was taken to Chalong Hospital for a once over and was soon discharged and taken back to the police station where an additional charge of escaping from custody was added to his rap sheet that will see him eventually deported and blacklisted from Thailand.