A Texas inmate bolted from a courthouse and held a prosecutor at knifepoint in a wild escape from custody on Thursday afternoon, officials said.
Nigel Thomas Sanders, 35, a homeless man in jail on burglary charges, is considered a “dangerous individual,” Harris County Assistant Chief Phillip Bosquez told reporters.
The chaos started shortly before 3:30 p.m. local time when the inmate slipped away following his court appearance at the Harris County Criminal Courts Building.
Sanders sprinted through the basement tunnel, finding his way to the street where he “accosted” a prosecutor who was leaving work for the day, officials said.
Sanders — wearing orange pants and a black shirt — was last seen running down a Houston street toward the Buffalo Bayou, with some reports saying he lept into the water.
The fugitive prompted the University of Houston-Downtown to lock down the campus, warning students to “get indoors immediately. Lock outside doors. Avoid Windows.”
