Surveillance cameras at a county jail in San Bernardino County captured an inmate armed with a homemade metal knife launching out of a cell and attempting to stab a deputy.
The violence unfolded at around 2:45 p.m. on June 11 at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
The inmate, 25-year-old Christopher Lommie Jackson, who has been in custody since 2019 on numerous violent charges, including the alleged murder of 51-year-old Subhi Baghdadi, 51, of Anaheim, had attempted to stab another inmate, prompting a response from jail-assigned deputies.
That’s when footage shows Jackson, shiv in hand, fly out of a cell, make contact with a deputy and take him to the ground, where a vicious struggle ensued.
Other responding deputies are seen immediately intervening and authorities say the 25-year-old inmate was eventually subdued.
Sheriff’s officials did not identify the 45-year-old deputy, but said he suffered moderate injuries to his face and was treated and released from a local hospital.
It’s unclear if the 28-year-old inmate attacked by Jackson prior to the assault on the deputy was injured.
Authorities say these types of violent attacks on deputies at correctional facilities present a significant danger to county employees working in the jails.
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In San Bernardino County alone, there were 236 assaults on deputies from 2020-2023, with 51 violent attacks to date this year.
“Such violent behavior poses a serious threat to the safety and security of our staff and inmate populations,” San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said. “Our deputies work tirelessly to maintain order and provide a secure environment within our correctional facilities. We will pursue the maximum legal consequences for those who carry out attacks in our correctional facilities.”
For the attack on the 45-year-old deputy, attempted murder charges against Jackson have been filed with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.
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