Two men are facing a number of charges in relation to a terrifying shooting and attempted escape that unfolded in Whitecourt Tuesday.

Whitecourt RCMP said Clayton Ness, 29, and Jack MacIntyre, 22, both of Whitecourt, are facing a number of charges stemming from an attempted escape from custody in the town’s courthouse.

The ordeal started at about 11:30 a.m., in an area designated for holding prisoners outside of a courtroom – according to a radio reporter who was in the courtroom at the time, a commotion could be heard from the area.

“The sheriff who was in the courtroom at the time immediately swung up, and ran to the back,” Lynden McBeth said. “Within seconds, we heard ‘bang bang’, and then the courthouse was evacuated immediately.

“People then were running for their lives.”

After that, two prisoners escaped in a sheriff’s van, heading down Highway 32 just outside of Whitecourt, near a farmhouse.

After a long standoff with police, the pair was arrested.

The accused are each facing a charge of robbery with a firearm, assault with a weapon, escaping lawful custody, and two counts each of aggravated assault, in addition to numerous other charges, stemming from a drug bust last week.

Four other people were arrested and charged in that bust.

The mayor said both cases are a sign of a growing problem in the area.

“There is a small element of a drug trade that goes on, and this is not something that’s necessarily from the locals,” Woodland’s county Mayor Jim Rennie said. “It’s our hotel rooms that are full right now.”

The province has vowed to investigate what happened, and what could be done in the future to prevent another similar turn of events.

“We will have our own internal investigation, to see what could have been done, if anything, to prevent this,” Solicitor General Jonathan Denis said.

That investigation is expected to start immediately.

In addition, the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees – which represents Alberta sheriffs – said officials are looking into whether security improvements need to be made.

“We want to make sure the environments are safe and secure, protecting the public and our officers,” AUPE Local Chair Clarke McChesney said.

The sheriff injured in the incident was shot in the hand; a co-worker told CTV News he is in good spirits, despite the extensive injury.

He is being treated at the U of A Hospital, and is in stable condition.

With files from Bill Fortier