At least three people have been killed following a shootout at a Moscow court between defendants and security guards on the premises, the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported on Tuesday.
Three out of five defendants whose case was due to be heard at the Moscow Regional Court were reportedly killed as they attempted to wrestle weapons from security guards as part of an attempt to escape the court.
The defendants belonged to a criminal group known as the GTA Gang, after the video game, accused of 17 killings on roads in the Moscow and Kaluga regions between 2012 and 2015.
The five gang members attacked court guards and seized their weapons in a lift in the building. Three policemen and two of the defendants were injured in an ensuing shootout.
Court employees and visitors were promptly evacuated.
A lawyer who was at the court told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency that 20 shots were fired.