belongs, behind bars. >> at first i couldn't believe it that the guy just said, i'm who you are looking for. >> reporter: the officers chased the killer-turned escapee right into a snow bank. >> he wasn't disrespectful by any means. he was fairly polite, actually. >> he said, hey, i'm the guy everyone is looking for. >> he didn't try to give any false names. asked him his name and he told us who he was. >> reporter: michael elliott is no stranger to law enforcement in michigan. he was serving a life sentence for killing four people and then setting their home on fire. prison officials say elliott stole a kitchen uniform and is believed to have used his bare hands to get through two prison fences. >> it's obvious there were some flaws in our security and that we need to assess what those are. >> reporter: in less than 24 hours on the run, police say elliott stole as many as four vehicles, including this jeep. its driver says elliott