A man being escorted into court for his rape trial Friday stole a deputy’s gun, killed the judge and two other people and carjacked a reporter’s vehicle to escape, setting off a massive manhunt and creating widespread chaos across Atlanta, police said.
Hundreds of officers in cruisers and helicopters swarmed the area in the search of the suspect, identified as 33-year-old Brian Nichols. He had been on trial for rape, burglary and other charges stemming from an August incident involving an ex-girlfriend.
