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ATLANTA - In an attack one jurist called ''9-11 in the courthouse,'' a defendant on trial for rape overpowered a sheriff's deputy, took her gun and opened fire in a downtown courtroom Friday, killing the presiding judge, a court reporter and another deputy who tried to apprehend the fleeing suspect.

A manhunt was on Friday night for 33-year-old Brian Nichols, who accosted two people in their vehicles before pistol-whipping a newspaper reporter and escaping in his 1997 green Honda Accord.

The murders raised questions about the security of judges for the second time in two weeks, falling on the heels of the shooting deaths of U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow's husband and mother in Chicago.

The incident at the Fulton County Courthouse occurred just after 9 a.m. on the eighth floor of the Justice Center Tower, where courtrooms were beginning to fill up as the Superior Court day began. Authorities said Nichols had changed from his jail uniform into street clothes, as required before appearing before jurors, when he overpowered Deputy Cynthia Hall in a detention area, grabbed her gun and keys and shot her in the head. She was hospitalized late Friday in critical but stable condition.

Nichols then entered the courtroom where Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes, 64, was seated on the bench. Nichols appeared to randomly begin firing, killing the judge and court reporter Julie Ann Brandau, 46. The jury had not been brought to the courtroom, but at least a dozen others were present, police said. At one point, Nichols held a deputy and several staff members hostage at gunpoint.

After firing several shots, Nichols ran out of the courthouse. Authorities immediately locked down the building, but Nichols managed to make it into the street where he confronted sheriff's deputy Hoyt Teasley, authorities said. Teasley chased him on foot, but Nichols turned around and fired, striking the officer at least once in the abdomen, authorities said. Teasley later died.

''It's so unthinkable,'' said state Court Judge Craig Schwall. ''It's like a 9-11 in the courthouse.''

The female deputy had removed Nichols' handcuffs so that he could change clothes, but it was unclear how the 6-foot, 1-inch tall, 200-pound suspect managed the get the deputy's gun, said Atlanta Deputy Police Chief Alan Dreher.

Police found a gun near the deputy's body and several casings on the street, but they did not believe it was the weapon used in the shootings. Police said the suspect was considered armed and dangerous.

Law enforcement helicopters circled neighborhoods throughout the day, as hundreds of law enforcement officials from state, federal and local agencies combed the city and suburbs looking for the suspect. Downtown buildings and several schools were placed on lockdown. Officials in bordering states also were on notice.

The courthouse was described as chaotic as hundreds of people were ushered into secure courtrooms or holding areas for safety. After about an hour, many of them were allowed to leave.

Defense attorney Renee Rockwell said she had just arrived on the eighth floor and was heading to the courtroom for a conference with Barnes regarding a drug trafficking case when deputies pushed her into an elevator.

''The deputies came running down the hallway with their guns drawn, and I saw a deputy's hat on the floor. They were yelling, 'Get out of the way.' One of the deputies grabbed me and put me on the elevator and took me back downstairs,'' she said.

Nichols, who was charged with raping his girlfriend in August, was being tried for the second time on six counts, including kidnapping and burglary, following a mistrial two weeks ago in which the jury deadlocked. He had been scheduled to testify Friday.

Deputies in charge of security at the courthouse had been warned of Nichols' violent intentions. Officers found two crude jailhouse knives, or ''shanks,'' made from a doorknob, in his shoes and socks as he returned to lockup after court on Wednesday, according to Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard Jr. As a precaution, Barnes had called a special security meeting between all lawyers in the case and two additional deputies were on hand in court Thursday.

Except for the attack on his ex-girlfriend, authorities said Nichols had no previous history of violence. One attorney said the attack occurred after his girlfriend broke up with him because he allegedly impregnated another woman.