ST. LOUIS — 5 On Your Side has obtained video of the moment two inmates assaulted a 73-year-old unarmed guard Tuesday morning at the St. Louis City Justice Center, leading to the guard being held hostage for around two hours while inmates demanded hot food in exchange for his release.
The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department said the incident began at about 6:10 a.m. and was confined to the fourth floor of the Justice Center.
St. Louis SWAT members entered the Justice Center shortly after 8 a.m. and freed the guard about 20 minutes later.
St. Louis police confirmed in a Wednesday update that five inmates were arrested in relation to the incident and charges will be sought. The inmates were already being held at the Justice Center on various charges; three of the suspects are awaiting trial on murder charges.
The incident began when a corrections officer let two inmates out of their cells to help hand out breakfast trays. One inmate then struck him in the head and the other inmate struck him after he fell to the ground.
5 On Your Side obtained surveillance video that shows the two inmates assaulting the guard:
According to the source, both inmates then dragged the guard into the showers, took his mace, keys and handcuffs, and handcuffed him to the shower area. They then shackled his legs and removed him from the showers.
The inmates took the guard's radio and began complaining about a lack of hot food and demanding "pizza and chicken patties" in exchange for the guard's release. Some of the inmates armed themselves with brooms, cords, metal from TV brackets and other objects they could find.
The SWAT team was notified of the incident and responded to assist. Inmates sprayed responding SWAT team members with fire extinguishers when they arrived, the source said.
"Less-than-lethal" ammunition was used to bring the situation under control, the department said.
Just before 8:30 a.m., the injured guard was carried on a stretcher from the Justice Center to an ambulance. The department said he was treated at a hospital for minor injuries and released. The law enforcement source said he suffered a dislocated jaw, an eye injury and a concussion.
Two inmates also suffered minor injuries from other inmates.
The correctional officer's daughter, who asked to remain anonymous, told 5 On Your Side the incident was very scary. She spoke with her father while he was recovering in the hospital.
"He got a busted lip and I think he got a concussion," she added.
"For up to two hours, his life was in danger. He wasn't protected by the city that he serves ... there is severe understaffing. They are not able to adequately handle the [number] of detainees that they have accepted into that facility," Janis Mensah, vice chair of the Detention Facilities Oversight Board, said.
Commissioner of Corrections for the jail Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah cited security reasons and would not address how many officers were working the day of the incident.
However, when asked whether there is a need for community oversight, she said she thinks this incident is merely an operation issue and has nothing to do with oversight.
"They were operating the way they should've been," Clemons-Abdullah said.
"Even with all of the procedures that are supposed to protect him ... the procedures that the warden said worked just as they should ... his life was put in danger," Mensah said.
The officer's daughter also has questions.
"Obviously he was by himself ... was there protocol [or] another guard around him? I don't know ... my dad is not mean, he's very nice and does his job," she said.
During a press briefing about the incident, Clemons-Abdullah answered questions about food security and procedures inside the jail.
She said the facility improved its food services with a vendor who checks the food's nutritional value to enhance what the facility feeds inmates.
From an oversight standpoint, the commissioner addressed other efforts including repurposing inmate menus, expeditiously increasing medical techniques, and revamping units so inmates can watch TV.
Members of the Detention Facilities Oversight Board held a press conference late Tuesday to talk about transparency issues they have had with the facility and Abdullah.
"What you saw today we are not surprised of. We made it very clear in the almost 18 months that we've existed that there are problems in the Justice Center. There are conditions in the Justice Center that have not been addressed since the (Corrections) Task Force was created," Rev. Daryl Gray said.
The Correction Task Force was created after inmates rioted in 2021 and broke windows and set fires.
“You're not allowing the oversight board an opportunity to come in and you are saying you won't allow us in because we haven't received the proper training but the grand jury can come in with no training. People can come in with no training,” Gray said.
Police said that orientation and consultation training with the oversight board was underway. The board is asking to see video footage of the series of events that led up to the hostage situation within the next 48 hours.
The department said it plans to pursue charges against the involved detainees.
5 On Your Side will update this story as soon as information becomes available.