Surveillance cameras at a county jail in San Bernardino County captured an inmate armed with a homemade metal knife launching out of a cell and attempting to stab a deputy.
The violence unfolded at around 2:45 p.m. on June 11 at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga, according to a news release from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
The inmate, 25-year-old Christopher Lommie Jackson, who has been in custody since 2019 on numerous violent charges, including the alleged murder of Subhi Baghdadi, 51, of Anaheim, had attempted to stab another inmate, prompting a response from jail-assigned deputies.
That’s when footage shows Jackson, shiv in hand, fly out of a cell, make contact with a deputy and take him to the ground, where a vicious struggle ensued.
Other responding deputies are seen immediately intervening and authorities say the 25-year-old inmate was eventually subdued.
Sheriff’s officials did not identify the 45-year-old deputy, but said he suffered moderate injuries to his face and was treated and released from a local hospital.
It’s unclear if the 28-year-old inmate attacked by Jackson prior to the assault on the deputy was injured.
Authorities say these types of violent attacks on deputies at correctional facilities present a significant danger to county employees working in the jails.
In San Bernardino County alone, there were 236 assaults on deputies from 2020-2023, with 51 violent attacks to date this year.
“Such violent behavior poses a serious threat to the safety and security of our staff and inmate populations,” San Bernardino County Sheriff Shannon Dicus said. “Our deputies work tirelessly to maintain order and provide a secure environment within our correctional facilities. We will pursue the maximum legal consequences for those who carry out attacks in our correctional facilities.”
For the attack on the 45-year-old deputy, attempted murder charges against Jackson have been filed with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office.