Donnie Rowe and Ricky Dubose handcuffed after their arrest.
Donnie Rowe, 43, and Ricky DuBose, 24, allegedly killed the two correctional officers in Georgia while they were being transferred to another facility by transport bus.
Ongoing investigative efforts continue to indicate the pair, forced their way into a home in Shelbyville at approximately 2:00 PM on Thursday afternoon. Dubose and Rowe held the couple hostage for around 3 hours and then left in the couple’s vehicle. The victims were able to notify law enforcement about the encounter and identity the assailants.
Law enforcement officers began an effort to locate the vehicle, were able to do so, and soon began a pursuit, which wound from Bedford County along State Route 231, into Rutherford County, and on to Interstate 24. During the pursuit, which lasted more than 20 miles and reached dangerously high speeds, shots were fired from the suspects’ vehicle, striking several Rutherford County cruisers. Ultimately, the pair crashed the vehicle along Interstate 24, at approximately Mile Marker 91, (just a few miles from the Coffee County line) and fled on foot through a tree line. They approached a nearby home, where an alert resident was able to safely notify law enforcement officers, leading to the immediate arrests of the individuals.
Dubose and Rowe remain in the custody of the Rutherford County Sheriff’s Department, awaiting extradition proceedings. The determination about any criminal charges in Tennessee has not yet been made.
During their run through Rutherford County they made their way to the driveway of a home on Pruitt Road where they were caught trying to steal a second vehicle from the home.
Initial reports by police said that the owner and a neighbor held the men at gun point until police arrived. However, Patrick Hale, set the record straight the next day, saying the men surrendered and he never drew his gun.
