Inmate escapes using fake gun

A US prisoner facing a life sentence has used a fake gun made out of paper to escape from a courtroom, American officials have said.

Harold McCord, used the fake to subdue guards at the Pierce County Courthouse in Tacoma, Washington, before escaping in a hijacked vehicle, local sheriff's spokeswoman Lauren Pawlawski said.

"We're concerned that he's desperate because obviously at this point he doesn't have a lot to lose since he is facing life in prison without the chance of parole," Ms Pawlawski said.

McCord, 36, faces a life in prison under Washington's "three strikes" law for people convicted for three violent offences.

Toilet paper gun

The incident happened on Monday when McCord - recently sentenced to life in jail - was in the courtroom for a motion hearing and his handcuffs and shackles had been removed.

"That was the opportunity he saw to flee and pull out this weapons he had manufactured," Ms Pawlawski said.

She said McCord ran through the courtroom but was tackled by one of the guards.

As they were fighting, McCord pulled out what looked like a real gun and threatened the guard.

"Two other officers who were several yards (metres) away saw the incident happen and lowered their weapons," the spokeswoman said.

Outside the courtroom, the convict hijacked a pickup truck after threatening its owner with the fake gun.

The "gun" was found later ditched on the road, Ms Pawlawski said.

US investigators were not sure how McCord had managed to make the fake.

"It looks like it was made out of paper, toilet paper, possibly. It looks a lot like a gun, small, black," Ms Pawlawski said.

"It's unbelievable; we held them side by side and they looked exactly alike. I could stand 10 feet away, and if I saw somebody holding it, I would think it was a gun," she added.

McCord's criminal record includes burglary, assault and kidnapping, the spokeswoman said.