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If you find yourself facing a life sentence at Manhattan Supreme Court and you decide you'd rather take your chances and make a run for it, you'll need to execute your big escape is a well-tailored suit. It worked out pretty well for Ronald Tackman this morning. The career criminal facing five counts of robbery in Manhattan (he's also accused of another robbery in Queens) pulled the move this morning and managed to get mistaken for a lawyer in the process:

Tackman, who had been awaiting trial on Rikers Island, was "impeccably dressed" in a jacket and tie when he arrived for a pre-trial hearing on the 13th floor, the source said. Somehow, Tackman managed to sneak down two flights to a holding area for prisoners awaiting trial - and where a court officer mistook him for a lawyer, according to the source. "Counselor, what are you doing here?" the officer asked, the source said. Another courthouse source said Tackman was not handcuffed and in a suit. "The officer didn't even challenge him," the second source said. "He just walked out."

If you see Tackman, don't panic. He isn't considered dangerous. Then again, the chances of actually spotting him seem to be pretty slim. He's described by one official as "the quintessential average-looking white guy." [NYDN, NYP]