Dozens of people were held hostage at a jail's visitors' center after a suspect broke free from his handcuffs, commandeered a police car and took an officers' shotgun, officials said.
James Richard McCutchen, 40, allegedly attempted the dramatic escape while being transported to the county jail in Gallatin, Tennessee, on Wednesday on charges of domestic violence, vandalism, and resisting stop, halt, frisk.
He was eventually brought under control by a civilian and a correctional officer who tackled him to the ground.
Upon his arrival at the Sumner County Jail, some 25 miles northeast of Nashville, McCutchen managed to escape his handcuffs and got into a struggle with his accompanying officer, according to a statement from the Gallatin Police Department.
The suspect got into the police car and drove away — dragging the officer behind the car in the process, it added.
After being stopped at the jail's security gate, McCutchen allegedly took the officer's shotgun and fled on foot outside the perimeter of the building. He pointed a gun at a Sumner County deputy and the deputy fired back and missed, the statement said.
McCutchen then ran around the corner into the jail's visitors' center, according to police, where he ordered 30 people to get on the ground at gunpoint before being tackled by the civilian and a correctional officer.
McCutchen, who had several other outstanding warrants, was booked into jail under the original charges, plus an additional count of aggravated kidnapping and three counts of aggravated assault.
The officer dragged behind his car was transported to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
