Texas inmate holds prosecutor at knifepoint in daring court escape

US News

By Katherine Donlevy

A Texas inmate fled a courthouse and held a prosecutor at knifepoint during a wild escape Thursday afternoon, officials said.

Nigel Thomas Sanders, 35, a homeless man jailed for burglary, is considered a “dangerous individual,” Harris County Deputy Chief Phillip Bosquez told reporters.

The chaos began shortly before 3:30 p.m. local time when the inmate escaped after his appearance at Harris County Criminal Court.

Sanders sprinted through the basement tunnel, heading toward the street where he “accosted” a prosecutor who was leaving work for the day, officials said.

“He jumped in her car and she destroyed that car in just a few feet,” Bosquez said, adding that police believed Sanders had a knife but the employee was not injured.

Sanders — wearing orange pants and a black shirt — was last seen running down a Houston street toward Buffalo Bayou, with some reports saying he jumped into the water.

The fugitive prompted the University of Houston-Downtown to lock down the campus, warning students to “return immediately.” Lock the exterior doors. Avoid Windows.

“There is still a threat to the community right now,” Bosquez said.

Whether Sanders had outside help in obtaining the gun or facilitating the escape remains a mystery.

According to Bosquez, the tunnel the fugitive went through is used to transport inmates to the courthouse basement.

“There are different crossing points that we can’t talk about – it’s security – but it’s in a secure tunnel,” the deputy chief said.

Sanders was in custody on two burglary charges and one charge of unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon, records show.

Police said he had no permanent address and led a “transient lifestyle”. He is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 165 pounds.

Authorities also sent boats into the bayou to find the man.