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HOUSTON, Texas (CBS NEWS) - Authorities are searching for an inmate who escaped Thursday during a Houston courthouse appearance after holding a staffer at knifepoint, officials said.

The inmate, 35-year-old Joshua Nigel Thomas Sanders, “was in custody for three burglaries, and one unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon,” Harris County Assistant Chief Phillip Bosquez said in a news conference. Sanders appeared at the 1301 Franklin Street courthouse at about 3:30 p.m. local time, authorities said. He held a court staffer at knifepoint, Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a statement, before fleeing the courthouse.

@HCSOTexas has identified the escaped inmate as Joshua Nigel Thomas Sanders, age 35, approximately 5 feet 5 inches tall and 140 lbs. He is considered to be dangerous. If sighted call 911. #HOUnews @SheriffEd_HCSO pic.twitter.com/cplWZ73Zwv
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) June 14, 2024

“Earlier today, one of our employees was held against her will by a man with a knife who apparently escaped from official custody,” Ogg said. “We are thankful and grateful that she was not physically harmed during this incident.”

Bosquez said that after escaping the courthouse, Sanders “accosted” a driver and got into her car, but she then crashed “within a few feet,” and the inmate ran away.

“After the car was disabled during the accident, the subject got out of the car and ran down the street,” Bosquez said. “That was our last location with him on camera.”

There were no injuries in the crash.

Marine units searched the bayou for the suspect. Sanders has no fixed address, Bosquez said, and authorities believe he is armed with a knife. Bosquez

“The general public should be on heightened alert that this man has yet to be apprehended, but we are confident that law enforcement will be able to find and apprehend the suspect,” Ogg said in the statement.