ST. LOUIS — Charges were filed against two inmates who allegedly assaulted a correctional officer after stealing his pepper stray and radio inside the St. Louis City Justice Center in October. It was the second attack on a guard at the facility in recent months.
Editor's note: The video above previously aired in October.
Keywaun Davis, 19, and a co-defendant, Darryl Williams, 20, are both individually facing first-degree assault or attempt/serious physical injury or special victim, a Class A felony, for their role in the Oct. 8 attack of a correctional officer at the center located at 200 South Tucker Blvd.
Davis remains in custody for a different assault on a special victim when he attacked a juvenile detention employee while detained inside the center, according to the probable cause statement. Williams is also in custody for first-degree murder in a previous case.
According to the probable cause statement, the guard was returning an empty trash can to a cell that night when they attacked him by punching him in the head and knocking him to the ground. When the guard called for help, one of the defendants grabbed his radio and tossed it to the side and out of reach. Davis and Williams allegedly continued to kick and punch the guard all over his body.
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 suffered a broken nose, a concussion and injuries to both of his legs. He was treated and released from a hospital for injuries to his face, according to Department of Public Safety spokesperson Monte Chambers. He works for a private contractor the city hired to put more corrections officers in the city jail due to a guard shortage.
The guard 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 former 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.
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