Inmates jump guard, set fires, smash windows at downtown St. Louis jail

[alp227]

Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch

ST. LOUIS — Inmates at the City Justice Center downtown smashed out windows and threw debris to the ground below in a disturbance that began about 2:30 a.m. Saturday after an inmate and a guard scuffled and the guard was then jumped by other inmates, authorities said.

Law enforcement officers used tear gas to regain control and a spokesman for the mayor said all the inmates were "back in custody" shortly before 10 a.m.

Jimmie Edwards, the director of the city's Department of Public Safety, told reporters that the corrections officer was injured and taken to a hospital. He was believed to be doing well, Edwards said. No other officers and no inmates were injured, Edwards said.

Edwards said that there is an issue with the locks in the facility, which detainees can tamper with. Edwards said he has been working on the issue since December.

Read more: https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/inmates-jump-guard-set-fires-smash-windows-at-downtown-st-louis-jail/article_42dda377-67aa-5685-ba3d-e96b83cee8a8.html

[tirebiter]

1. No different than Jan. 6, really

Can’t they just get past it?

[beemer27]

2. Seriously???

The director of Public Safety says that they have been working on the locks problem since December. This is not an example of fast or efficient work. Perhaps someone could light a little fire under him and encourage him to work a little faster. Or he might not be the right person for this job. They could hire someone who understands that locks are very important in jail and should all be in working order.