SHELBYVILLE, TN (WSMV) - A Rutherford County homeowner held two Georgia escapees at gunpoint after they attempted to steal a car at his house, authorities said Thursday night at a press conference.
The homeowner on Pruitt Road saw Donnie Rowe, 43, and Ricky DuBose, 24, attempting to steal a car from his home.
The homeowner heard a noise outside the home and came out and caught the escapees, then called the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office.
Rowe and DuBose tied up a Shelbyville couple and held them at gunpoint for about three hours after their car broke down on Kindree Road.
They left the home around 5 p.m.
The Shelbyville couple were able to notify Bedford County authorities of the home invasion after working free from the binds.
Rutherford County deputies spotted Rowe and DuBose driving the stolen black Jeep Cherokee on Interstate 24 and began pursuit.
Rowe and DuBose wrecked the Jeep near the 91 mile marker, according to the THP, and fled into the woods alongside the interstate.
It is believed that Rowe and DuBose tied up a couple onKindreeRoad in Shelbyville and stole a black Jeep and guns. Rowe is from nearby Lewisburg, TN.
Bedford County Sheriff Austin Swing said the couple was lucky to be alive.
He said Rowe and DuBose entered the home with guns drawn and even held guns to the couple's head.
The escapees stayed inside the Shelbyville home for almost three hours before fleeing.
Police officials stopped a car they believed to be Rowe and DuBose on Interstate 24 near the Epps Mill Road exit.
The escaped inmates left the car and fled on foot in the area.
Rowe and DuBose had been on the run since early Tuesday morning when they allegedly shot and killed two corrections officers in Georgia while they were being transferred to another facility by transport bus.
