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Armed Inmate Captured After Hospital Escape

An armed prisoner who escaped a hospital in suburban Washington DC where shots were fired has been captured.

Wossen Assaye, 42, broke free from a private security guard at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, Virginia, and fled with the guard's weapon, police said.

Fairfax County police tweeted: "We have received confirmation that the escaped prisoner, Wossen Assaye, is in custody by Metropolitan Police."

He was found on Pennsylvania Avenue in south east Washington DC after a manhunt lasting nearly nine hours, a police official told News4.

Police said they had also located a stolen Toyota Camry that the "armed and dangerous" suspect had been driving.

The hospital was placed on lockdown, while several roads were shut as police combed the area for the suspect.

Police said Assaye, who escaped wearing a hospital gown, might have been with his girlfriend, whose photo was posted on Twitter, though she was not named.

He was being held in Alexandria on federal charges of armed bank robbery and was taken to a local hospital after he tried to harm himself, according to police.

While at the hospital, Assaye overpowered the guard and took his gun. One shot was fired, but no one was injured, police said.

Footage from the scene showed a heavy police presence outside the hospital, with several squad cars on surrounding streets and a helicopter hovering above.

The hospital is about 15 miles (24km) west of Washington DC.