Three people standing trial have been killed in a shootout at a courthouse in Moscow, Russian officials have said.

Five handcuffed defendants tried to escape as they were escorted by two guards at the Moscow Regional Court, according to Russia's Investigative Committee, the country's chief investigative body.

One of the defendants tried to strangle one of the guards, and the defendants managed to escape and seized the guards' weapons, it said in a statement.

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A shootout with the court's guards ensued, and three of the defendants were killed while the two others were wounded.

The state-owned news agency RIA Novosti quoted a lawyer, Sofya Rubasskaya, who said she heard at least 20 shots.

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This is to coincide with his state of the nation address in Manila. AFP/Getty

Three guards were injured and taken to hospital, the agency said.

The prosecutor's office for the Moscow region said it was looking into the incident to see if the guards had violated the procedure for escorting defendants.

The shooting took place before a hearing for a gang of nine people accused of terrorising Moscow roads and killing more than a dozen motorists.

She said the building had been evacuated.

Russia media dubbed the accused "the Grand Theft Auto gang."

Prosecutors said the gang members were placing spikes on roads, forcing the motorists out of their vehicles and shooting them dead.

The nine men, all from central Asia, are charged with 17 murders and two attempted murders.

Earlier reports from Russian news agencies said four had been killed in the gunfight.</s>MOSCOW - Five defendants at a Moscow courthouse attacked their guards in a bungled escape attempt, leading to a shootout that killed three people and wounded five others, officials said Tuesday.

Russia's Investigative Committee said the attempted getaway started while the five handcuffed men were being escorted by two guards in an elevator at the Moscow Regional Court.

One tried to strangle a guard before the defendants seized the guards' weapons and the group managed to escape, the investigative committee said.

Three of the defendants were killed and two wounded in a shootout with the court's guards. Three guards were injured and taken to hospital, the committee said.

The prosecutor's office for the Moscow region said it was looking into the incident to see if the guards had violated the procedure for escorting defendants.

Authorities said the incident took place before a hearing for a gang of nine who are suspected of killing more than a dozen motorists.

Russia media dubbed the accused "the Grand Theft Auto gang" after the violent video game. The men on trial are accused of terrorizing Moscow motorists for months in 2014. Prosecutors said the gang members were placing spikes on roads, forcing the motorists out of their vehicles and shooting them dead.

The nine men, all from Central Asia, are charged with 17 murders and two attempted murders.</s>MOSCOW — Five defendants at a Moscow courthouse attacked their guards in a bungled escape attempt, leading to a shootout that killed three people and wounded four others, officials said Tuesday.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said the incident happened when five handcuffed defendants were escorted by two guards in an elevator at the Moscow Regional Court. Russia’s chief investigative body said one of the defendants tried to strangle a guard. The defendants somehow managed to escape and seized the guards’ weapons.

Three of the defendants were killed and two wounded in a shootout with the court’s guards. Two guards were injured and taken to hospital, the agency said.

Authorities said the incident took place before a hearing for a gang of nine who are suspected of killing more than a dozen motorists.

Russia media dubbed the accused “the Grand Theft Auto gang” after the violent video game. The men on trial are accused of terrorizing Moscow motorists for months in 2014. Prosecutors said the gang members were placing spikes on roads, forcing the motorists out of their vehicles and shooting them dead.

The nine men, all from Central Asia, are charged with 17 murders and two attempted murders.</s>Three gang members were killed after they disarmed guards and opened fire in a courthouse in the Russian capital, Moscow.</s>Three "Grand Theft Auto" gang members were killed and two others were wounded Tuesday during a botched escape at a Moscow courthouse, a brazen incident that involved a shootout before a scheduled court hearing, officials said.

Five handcuffed gang members made a "valiant" getaway attempt inside Moscow Regional Court as they were being escorted by two guards in an elevator. The defendants were being taken to their hearing.

One person tried to strangle a guard before the other member grabbed their weapons and escaped, the investigative committee said.

Three defendants were killed and two others were wounded during a shootout with the guards. The lawyer for State-operated Russian news agency RIA Novosti said she heard at least 20 shots fired.

Three guards were injured and taken to the hospital, the investigative committee said.

The shooting happened before a hearing for a group of nine people -- dubbed the "Grand Theft Auto gang" by Russian media -- who have allegedly terrorized Moscow roads. The gang is accused of killing 17 people between 2012 and 2014 by shooting them dead as the victims exited their vehicle. The gang would place spikes on roads to pop car tires, forcing the drivers out of their vehicles.

The nine men, all from Central Asia, are charged with 17 murders and two attempted murders.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.</s>MOSCOW — The Latest on the shooting at a courthouse in a Moscow suburb (all times local):

Russian officials say three people have been killed and four injured in a shootout at a courthouse in a Moscow suburb.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, the country’s chief investigative body, said in a statement on Tuesday the incident took place when five handcuffed defendants tried to escape as they were escorted by two guards at the Moscow Regional Court. The body said one of the defendants tried to strangle one of the guards, and the defendants managed to escape and seized the guards’ weapons.

A shootout with the court’s guards ensued, and three of the defendants were killed. Two guards were injured.

Authorities said the incident took place before a hearing in a case of a gang of nine people who are suspected of killing more than a dozen of motorists.

Russia media dubbed the accused “the Grand Theft Auto gang” after the violent video game. The men on trial are accused of terrorizing Moscow motorists for months in 2014. Prosecutors said the gang members were placing spikes on roads, forcing the motorists out of their vehicles and shooting them dead.

The nine men, all from Central Asia, are charged with 17 murders and two attempted murders.

Russian news agencies are reporting that two people have been injured in a shooting inside a courthouse in a Moscow suburb.

The agencies on Tuesday quoted a lawyer who was at the courthouse and saw a guard and a court official injured.

According to the Tass agency, Nataly Osipova, spokeswoman for the Moscow Regional Court, said the incident took place at a hearing in a case of a gang of nine people who have terrorized Moscow roads, killing more than a dozen of motorists.

No other details were immediately available.</s>Three people are dead after a shooting at a Moscow courthouse, after an incident in which defendants allegedly took guards' weapons.

The shooting occurred at Moscow Regional Court, when alleged members of a criminal gang disarmed the guards and opened fire, according to TASS, a state-owned news agency. Two other defendants are said to be injured and in custody.

Russia's Investigative Committee said two guards were transporting five defendants in an elevator when one of the defendants tried to strangle a guard, The Associated Press reports. The defendants then somehow managed to disarm the guards.

A shootout reportedly followed: "Three of the arrested were killed while trying to flee the scene when the elevator was forcibly stopped, two were wounded," Tatiana Petrova, a spokeswoman for the Russian Interior Ministry's Moscow department, told TASS.

The investigative committee said a National Guard officer was wounded in the shoulder, and the guards were injured.

The gang is known in the Russian media as the "Grand Theft Auto Gang," after the violent video game.

"Prosecutors said the gang members were placing spikes on roads, forcing the motorists out of their vehicles and shooting them dead," the AP reports.

Nine men are charged in 17 murders and two attempted murders, as well as other crimes between 2012 and 2014. The AP reports the defendants are all from Central Asia.</s>MOSCOW—Five defendants at a Moscow courthouse attacked their guards in a bungled escape attempt, leading to a shootout that killed three people and wounded five others, officials said Tuesday.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said the attempted getaway started while the five handcuffed men were being escorted by two guards in an elevator at the Moscow Regional Court.

One tried to strangle a guard before the defendants seized the guards’ weapons and the group managed to escape, the investigative committee said.

Three of the defendants were killed and two wounded in a shootout with the court’s guards. Three guards were injured and taken to hospital, the committee said.

The prosecutor’s office for the Moscow region said it was looking into the incident to see if the guards had violated the procedure for escorting defendants.</s>MOSCOW — Three suspected gang members were killed in a shootout at a courthouse in a Moscow suburb on Tuesday after overpowering guards and stealing their weaponry, Russia's top investigative authority said of their botched escape attempt.

Two more suspected members of the group dubbed by the media and police as the GTA Gang, a reference to the "Grand Theft Auto" video game series, were detained as they tried to flee.

Those two were hospitalized with "severe gunshot wounds," the Investigative Committee said on its website.

The GTA Gang became notorious in 2014 for allegedly using spikes to burst the tires of vehicles travelling in the Moscow region in order to rob the drivers. The gang has been linked to at least 17 murders.</s>MOSCOW (AP) — Russian officials say three people have been killed and four injured in a shootout at a courthouse in a Moscow suburb.

Russia’s Investigative Committee, the country’s chief investigative body, said in a statement on Tuesday the incident took place when five handcuffed defendants tried to escape as they were escorted by two guards at the Moscow Regional Court. The body said one of the defendants tried to strangle one of the guards, and the defendants managed to escape and seized the guards’ weapons.

A shootout with the court’s guards ensued, and three of the defendants were killed. Two guards were injured.

Authorities said the incident took place before a hearing in a case of a gang of nine people who are suspected of killing more than a dozen of motorists.

Russia media dubbed the accused “the Grand Theft Auto gang” after the violent video game. The men on trial are accused of terrorizing Moscow motorists for months in 2014. Prosecutors said the gang members were placing spikes on roads, forcing the motorists out of their vehicles and shooting them dead.

The nine men, all from Central Asia, are charged with 17 murders and two attempted murders.
Three so-called GTA gang members are shot dead and four others are wounded, including two guards, at a courthouse in Moscow, Russia, after they attempted to escape.