2 teen inmates back in custody after hours-long manhunt

Two teenage inmates were taken back to jail Thursday afternoon, hours after they allegedly knocked out a Jenkins County deputy and escaped custody, authorities said.

A 14-year-old and a 15-year-old were re-arrested at about 5 p.m., according to the Jenkins County Sheriff’s Office. They were considered armed and dangerous while dozens of law enforcement officers worked to bring them back into custody.

Earlier Thursday, deputies searched for the inmates in the area of Ga. 56 and Knight Road in Burke County, about 20 miles south of downtown Augusta. At about 1:30 p.m., residents were asked to lock their doors and immediately report any suspicious people to authorities, the Burke sheriff’s office said.

According to the Jenkins sheriff’s office , the two inmates fled after they managed to take Jenkins County Deputy Milo Perry’s .45 automatic handgun and knock him unconscious with it.

The pair then shot three rounds in the deputy’s direction but he was not struck, the sheriff’s office said. Perry was taken to the hospital for injuries sustained during the “physical attack,” officials added.

The inmates were being held in the Augusta Regional Youth Detention Center and escaped while wearing their jumpsuits, the sheriff’s office said. They had a court date in Bulloch County and fled while being transported back to Augusta, according to deputies. They are both from Millen.

No other details were provided about their escape or eventual arrests several hours later.

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