Authorities in Rutherford County, Tenn., have captured two Georgia fugitives who were accused of double homicide after they tied up a couple and led police on a chase that closed Interstate 24 Thursday. 
nationwide manhunt began Tuesday for Ricky Dubose and Donnie Rowe after the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said the men fatally shot two guards on a prison transport bus before carjacking their way to freedom.
Sheriff Howard Sills of Putnam County, Ga., said the inmates fled the bus near Eatonton, about 70 miles southeast of Atlanta. Sills said investigators were trying to determine how the two got out of the inmate cage and into the driver's compartment.
The men turned up Thursday near Shelbyville, Tenn. 
According to Bedford County Sheriff Austin Swing at a news conference, Dubose and Rowe forced their way into a home at gunpoint.
The couple who live there spent the next three hours tied up while the fugitives ate their beef stew and pilfered their valuables. 
"They are extremely traumatized," he said.
They suffered minor injuries from the rope used to tie them up, and one of them was choked when he tried to escape.
At about 5:30 p.m., Swing said, Dubose and Rowe decided to leave and stole the couple's Jeep Cherokee. Some 15 minutes later, the couple managed to escape their bonds and call Shelbyville Police. 
When authorities with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office caught up with the wanted men, the ensuing high-speed chase shut down Interstate 24 about 10 miles south of Murfreesboro for several hours. 
Ricky Dubose and Donnie Rowe were captured in Rutherford County, Tenn. after they allegedly shot two prison guards and tied up a couple in their home in Bedford County, Tenn. Nancy DeGennaro / USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee
During the chase, the fugitives fired several rounds at RCSO deputies, according to Tennessee Bureau of Investigation spokesman Josh DeVine. Deputies did not fire back, and there were no injures in the gunfire, authorities said at a news conference that included representatives from the TBI, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and the RCSO. 
During the chase, Dubose and Rowe crashed into the treeline, which THP spokesman Lt. Bill Miller said was extremely dense. They ran for another 6 miles until they came to a home set back from the road by a long drive where they attempted to steal another car, Miller said. 
When the homeowner heard the men outside, he and a neighbor came out with weapons of their own. They held the fugitives at gunpoint until police arrived. Dubose and Rowe had left their weapons at the crash site, authorities said.
Dubose is serving a 20-year sentence for armed robbery, aggravated assault and theft from a 2014 case. Rowe has been in prison since 2002 with convictions including armed robbery, possession of a firearm during a crime and aggravated assault.
Georgia officials identified the victims from the transport bus slaying as Christopher Monica, 42, who began working for the corrections department in 2009, and Curtis Billue, 58, who would have marked his 10th anniversary with the department next month.
Authorities had offered a $130,000 reward for information leading to their arrests, but it was not immediately clear who will get the reward. 
TBI Director Mark Gwyn said the bravery and cooperation of multiple law enforcement agencies led to the capture of the escapees. He said some people in Georgia were probably breathing a sigh of relief tonight. 
"Yes, it feels good, but there's still a lot of hurt people in Georgia," Gwyn said.
Sills thanked the Rutherford and Bedford County sheriff's offices and all local and federal agencies that worked to apprehend the men. 
"I was extremely fearful for other law enforcement officers in surrounding states,” Sills said, according to an RCSO news release. “It’s an ideal situation in the end. I am grateful to everybody and thankful to God himself for minimizing any further harm to anyone."
Nancy De Gennaro and Mariah Timms contributed to this report. Reach Ariana Sawyer at asawyer@tennessean.com or on Twitter @a_maia_sawyer.