I'm surprised that something that's common knowledge (that a 220 pound male has more physical power than a 120 pound woman) didn't occur to GA lawmakers until this incident.

some of the TV news says the death toll is 5 or 6 counting a shooting at a mall and somewhere else.

Guess they didn't want any equal rights lawsuits?

FWIW, this is about the court reporter who was killed:

[Julie]"Brandau was born in Moncks Corner, S.C. She is survived by an 18-year-old daughter who is a freshman at Auburn University in Alabama."

I wonder if her daughter is in a GLO, and if so, how we can help her?

Why is ANYONE allowed to have guns in the courthouse?

In Pittsburgh, the sheriffs and police enter through a separate entrance and put their weapons in lockers until they're done with their business in the courthouse.

I don't think that the "protection" that guns offer the staff of the courthouse outweighs the potential threat.

*nod* nothing a gun can do in a courthouse that a tazer/stun-gun can't do, cept kill people.

around here, there's a REALLY big push lately for the use of tazer/stun guns

This is a wierd case. I mean he straight out murdered two people in the court house and killed another cop getting away.

Then I saw that he was on trial for a violent rape and it made me wonder why he was so lightly guarded.

But here is a different tangent. He was already tried for the rape and it was a hung jury, 8-4 in his favor.

Also, the rape was allegedly of his GF that was breaking up with him.

So this was a retrial where the prosecution seemed to be much more successful.

He had no criminal record. He was educated, had a good job.

The one question that never seems to be asked on TV was how much time he was facing and whether that may very well have been the motivation for him to break out like this.

He was probbaly facing 20 years in prison. If he didn't commit the original crime I can see how he wouldn't want to go to jail for life.

Read a few minutes ago that the suspect has been caught in the Atlanta area. There may have been a hostage, who was released. An Immigration agent was found dead in the same apartment complex -- apparently another victim.

The story I saw said the fugitive literally waved a white flag -- or tee shirt -- and surrendered.

He is now in Federal custody.

I am surprised he surrendered so easily. With the amount of violence he spread yesterday....It is strange thathe would give up like that.

I too am also suprised that he didn't make it out of Atlanta. I figured he would have carjacked another car and headed out of the state.

My boyfriend thinks that the so-called hostage situation, was him at a friend's who later turned him in.

The most important part...he is in jail, they won't take him for granted anymore (if they have learned his lesson), and he is going to get the book thrown at him!

They said on the news here that the woman did not know him, she just happened to be there when he dumped the custom agent's truck. He forced her in her own apartment. They do not know yet weither she escaped or he let her go.

I saw some of the press conference in between ACC basketball games. I think there are going to be some major revamping to the way prisoners are brought into court from now on. The head of the sheriff's department just couldn't seem to find words today....especially when it came to identifying the "suspect." I was waiting for something like scum-bag to escape his throat. (Even though I know the whole innocent before proven guilty...have to be professional....yada yada yada!)

Glad the bastard was caught! I hope the MFer will fry!

According to GA State Law, suspects are not allowed to wear handcuffs in court, and are also allowed to wear streetclothes, to prevent jury prejudice. The Deputy had just uncuffed Nichols to allow him to change when the struggle began.

After all, you are innocent until proven guilty.

I wonder if her daughter is in a GLO, and if so, how we can help her?

Julie's daughter is in a sorority at Auburn. I don't know which one but the paper mentioned that her sorority sisters were wearing pink carnations.

Glad she has the support of her sisters!