On August 22, prisoners at a St. Louis jail in the downtown area took a 70-year-old guard hostage. However, they released him a few hours later when the SWAT team intervened. The St. Louis Public Safety Department officials reported that two inmates opted to abduct the experienced guard during breakfast service. The occurrence transpired shortly after 6 a.m., with additional inmates joining in the abduction.
At a media briefing, Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah, the Director of Corrections, remarked that the inmates identified a favorable moment and exploited it. She also highlighted that officials were unable to ascertain the exact number of inmates involved in the offense against the 70-year-old corrections officer. When questioned about internal video recordings of the event, Clemons-Abdullah mentioned that authorities were in the process of evaluating surveillance footage to chart their subsequent actions.
The Director of Corrections also informed journalists that the method by which the prisoners overpowered the experienced guard remains unclear. She observed that while the motives behind the incident were under investigation, authorities disclosed that one of the participating inmates made a demand for pizza and chicken patties.
Various accounts indicated that the jail authorities contacted a police SWAT team after 8 a.m., and the guard was liberated a few minutes following this intervention. The correctional officer, whose identity was withheld, sustained minor injuries during the abduction and was promptly transported to a hospital after being rescued. St. Louis officials confirmed that all inmates involved in this offense would face charges.
In a conversation with the Associated Press, Chris Coyle, the Acting Director of Public Safety, informed the news agency that the police SWAT team employed non-lethal weaponry during their operation against the inmates. When queried for further specifics about the SWAT action at the St. Louis detention facility, he declined to elaborate. Coyle did, however, disclose that a few of the inmates involved in the abduction caused harm to the other two prisoners amidst the hostage scenario.
