ST. LOUIS — Two inmates assaulted a correctional officer at the City Justice Center Sunday, stealing his radio and pepper spray. It's the second attack on a guard there in less than two months.
The guard was returning an empty trash can to a cell at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday when they attacked him. He was treated and released from a hospital for injuries to his face, according to Department of Public Safety spokesman Monte Chambers.
When another guard responded, the inmates had already armed themselves with a broomstick and the guard’s pepper spray, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
The responding officer was able to use his pepper spray to subdue the inmates before they sprayed him, according to the source.
The injured guard works for a private contractor the city has hired to put more corrections officers in the city jail due to a shortage of guards.
He did not have keys to the cells on him during the attack, according to the source.
Two inmates attacked a different guard on Aug. 22, stealing his radio, keys and pepper spray and freed about 40 to 50 inmates from their cells. The city’s Corrections Commissioner Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah called it a “hostage situation,” while an employee who talked to the I-Team called it an “all-out riot.”
The city’s jail has also come under scrutiny following the deaths of 10 inmates during the past two years.
To watch 5 On Your Side broadcasts or reports 24/7, 5 On Your Side is always streaming on 5+. Download for free on Roku, Amazon Fire TV or the Apple TV app store.