Authorities searching for 3 ‘dangerous’ escaped inmates who may be armed

The inmates range in age from 24 to 31, with the youngest one charged with murder and armed robbery

Three inmates — including one who was being held on a murder charge — have escaped from a county jail just east of Atlanta, authorities said.

The breakout happened early Monday morning at the DeKalb County Jail and was discovered during a routine security check, the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office said.

“We take this breach very seriously and are working diligently to ensure these individuals are safely returned to custody as quickly as possible,” DeKalb County Sheriff Melody Maddox said in a statement. There were no immediate details about how the escape was carried out.

The men might be armed and are considered dangerous, the sheriff's office warned.

“The public is urged to exercise extreme caution and should not approach them,” the sheriff’s office said.

The inmates range in age from 24 to 31, with the youngest one charged with murder and armed robbery. The other two inmates face charges that include armed robbery and arson.

The DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit is working with patrol officers and other law enforcement agencies in the search.

The jail is in Decatur, about 10 miles (16 kilometers) east of downtown Atlanta.