Judge stabbed, courthouse guard shot in Washington state

A judge was reportedly stabbed and a sheriff's deputy shot with her own weapon at a Washington state courthouse on Friday.

The Associated Press quoted Undersheriff Rick Scott as saying the suspect was last seen running from the Grays Harbor County Courthouse with the officer's gun. 

The attack prompted a lockdown of schools and government buildings in the coastal town of Montesano, about 90 miles southwest of Seattle, as police and SWAT teams searched for the attacker, Reuters reported.

Scott said the man gave his name as Michael Thomas when approached at the courthouse earlier, CNN reported, however the motive for the attack wasn't clear.

According to Reuters, Scott said the gunman shot Grays Harbor County sheriff's Deputy Polly Davin and stabbed Superior Court Judge Dave Edwards in the neck after he tried to come to the deputy's assistance.

They were treated at Grays Harbor Community Hospital and released late Friday afternoon.

According to NBC's Northwest Cable News, Edwards was a signatory in a lawsuit last year against Grays Harbor County over budget cuts to the court system that had resulted in poor courthouse security.

Attorneys had been physically assaulted at court, a man let in armed with a knife and "anyone can enter the courthouse carrying weapons," the lawsuit said.

Scott admitted that the courthouse lacked metal detectors.

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