A manhunt is under way in Georgia for two inmates accused of killing two guards on a prison bus Tuesday morning.
Authorities say Donnie Russell Rowe, 43, and Ricky Dubose, 24, carjacked a getaway car and are armed with the officers’ .40 caliber Glock pistols. The Georgia Department of Corrections said in a tweet that people should call 911 and should not approach the men if they them.
The FBI said the fugitives were seen getting into a “grass green,” four-door 2004 Honda Civic with the Georgia license plate number RBJ-6601.
The Georgia Department of Corrections identified the guards as Christopher Monica and Curtis Billue, both officers at Baldwin State Prison. Monica had been with the department since October 2009 and Billue since July 2007.
U.S. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said during testimony before a Senate budget panel in Washington Tuesday morning that federal resources are being committed to help catch the fugitives.
“An attack on any American law enforcement officer is an attack on every American law enforcement officer and the principles we all believe in,” he said.
Both men have been serving long sentences for armed robbery and other crimes, according to the Department of Corrections website. Rowe had been in prison since June 2002, and Dubose had been in prison since July 2015.
Putnam County Sheriff Howard R. Sills said it happened at about 5:45 a.m. on state Highway 16 between Eatonton and Sparta, southeast of Atlanta.