Police said a man tried to raid a courthouse and take hostages
+ READ ARTICLEUpdated 4:42 p.m. E.T.
A man armed with explosives, body armor and makeshift handcuffs staged a “frontal assault” on a courthouse in Georgia on Friday, authorities said, injuring one person before he was killed in a shootout with police.
Authorities said a man identified as Dennis Marx, 48, tried to drive his car into the building in Cumming, Ga. He was armed with an assault rifle and gas grenades and intended to take hostages, Forsyth County Sheriff Duane Piper said. Marx attempted to run over a deputy who tried to stop him, later shooting the deputy in the leg. Marx was killed when a short shootout with police ensued.
“Mr. Marx’s intention was to get in that front door and take hostages,” Piper said, according to CNN, adding that Marx acted alone.
The 25-year old deputy, was taken to a nearby hospital and was expected to recover, WSB-TV Atlanta reports. Piper credited the deputy’s actions with preventing Marx from taking hostages. Authorities said no bystanders or civilians were injured.
Police and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation were investigating Marx’s house Friday, which Piper said was rigged with explosives. Marx hadn’t been home for more than a week, WSB-TV reports, instead living in a local hotel.
Before the shooting, Marx was set to attend a hearing in the courthouse for a drug-related charge, Piper said.