By Megan Crepeau
Chicago Tribune
COOK COUNTY, Ill. — An attack in a maximum-security division of the Cook County Jail early Tuesday left one guard in the hospital and two others injured, according to the sheriff’s office.
Criminal charges will be pursued against two detainees identified by the office who allegedly instigated the attack in Division 9.
A guard passing out breakfast about 3:40 a.m. let an inmate out to get a glass of water; when he returned, he allegedly grabbed the guard by the neck and dragged him into his cell, according to a statement from the sheriff’s office.
The officer got out of the cell, but the fight continued outside, where the inmate allegedly choked him until he was unconscious. It is also is believed a sock filled with bars of soap was used to attack the guard, the office said.
The inmate is accused of grabbing the officer’s keys and giving them to his cellmate, who opened at least one other cell door to let a third detainee out, according to the office.
The ensuing melee only ended when a sergeant armed with a taser arrived on the scene, according to the sheriff’s office. One of the three correctional officers attacked remains hospitalized as of Tuesday afternoon.
The first inmate, 30, is behind bars awaiting trial on charges he shot a Chicago police officer who responded to a cellphone store robbery in Back of the Yards in 2017. His cellmate faces charges of being an armed habitual criminal and unlawful gun possession, according to the sheriff’s office.
A GoFundMe has been set up for Officer Watt, the first officer injured in the attack.