Guard Brutally Attacked by Inmate Rescued by Other Inmates

2 stepped in when fellow prisoner attacked guard at South Carolina max-security site
By Jenn Gidman,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 21, 2022 12:50 PM CST
South Carolina Officials to Inmates: Thank You for Saving Guard
In this April 16, 2018, photo, a guard tower stands above the Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville, South Carolina.   (AP Photo/Sean Rayford, File)

Two inmates at a maximum-security South Carolina prison are being lauded for helping a guard who was attacked by another inmate. The state's Department of Corrections is now detailing the Monday evening attack, which WCIV notes could've been a deadly one had the rescuing inmates not intervened. "The officer was punched in the face, pushed down a flight of stairs and stomped on the head" by the attacker, the SCDC Twitter account noted the day after the incident at Lee Correctional Institution. At that point, the two prisoners stepped in: One of them "grabbed the assailant," while the other "pulled the officer to safety & called for help."

The agency notes that the attacker was taken to another prison and now has new charges pending. It's not clear what that inmate is in prison for, nor was a motive given for the attack, but the State notes the prison is a Level 3 facility "designed primarily to house violent offenders with longer sentences, and inmates who exhibit behavioral problems," per the SCDC's site. In 2018, seven inmates were killed and 17 were injured in a riot that broke out at the prison, which "has had other violent incidents over the years," per the newspaper. The guard who was attacked in this latest incident is said to be recovering at a local medical center with non-life-threatening injuries. "Thank you to these 2 inmates who helped stop this serious assault," the corrections department notes. (Read about the 2018 riot here.)

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