Police are hunting a "violent" and "very dangerous" criminal who escaped from custody with the help of two masked men with a gun, officers said.
Detective Chief Inspector Kevin Purcell, of West Mercia Police, said Craig Hickinbottom was serving a five year and 11 month sentence for armed robbery when he escaped.
Two men wearing balaclavas, or with their faces covered, used a firearm to threaten staff in a security van taking the prisoner back to custody after a court appearance in Redditch, he said.
"He is a violent individual, he is serving a prison sentence for armed robbery, his escape was facilitated by people with a handgun," the DCI told a press conference.
"He is very dangerous." he added.
He said officers were doing all they could to track down Hickinbottom and asked for anyone who has seen him to contact police or Crimestoppers.
The 24-year-old convict is described as a white male, 5ft 11in, with blue eyes, close-cropped ginger hair and is currently clean-shaven.
He is believed to have escaped in a blue or silver Audi-type vehicle.
The armed robber was being returned to HMP Blakenhurst from a routine appearance at Redditch Magistrates' Court on a charge of driving while disqualified and was the sole occupant of the Reliance prison van, which was forced to a halt by the Audi shortly after 1pm.
The vehicle is said to have been less than 400 yards away from the jail when its drivers were threatened by the men and forced to release Hickinbottom in Hewell Lane.
