Guards are reprimanded after they are caught spraying prisoner with ‘chemical agent’ and repeatedly kicking him because he punched one of them in the face
- Footage shows the prisoner punching a guard at Shelby County Jail in Tennessee
- He is then chased by a group of prison deputies who restrain him and beat him
- After he is sprayed with ‘chemical agent’ he is then repeatedly kicked by guards
Shocking surveillance footage shows a prisoner being kicked by guards and sprayed in the face with a chemical agent after he punches one of them.
Shelby County officials released the footage showing the fight between an inmate and several deputies inside the Shelby County Jail in Tennessee.
The video shows the inmate and a guard exchanging words before the prisoner punches him in the face.
The inmate runs to another part of the prison and tries to fight off the group of deputies but is quickly overpowered.
He is sprayed with a substance and clutches his face in pain while some deputies deliver kicks near his head.
Officials later said he was a ‘high-risk, violent convicted Tennessee Department of Corrections inmate’.
The incident happened on April 12, 2018, according to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials said it started when an inmate attacked one of the deputies as they attempted to transport him back to prison from the Shelby County Jail following court appearances on pending felony charges.
According to SCSO, when deputies tried to restrain him, the inmate became combative and ‘positioned himself in a fighting stance, presumable to attack additional deputies.’
The team then sprayed the inmate with a ‘chemical agent’ to try to put handcuffs on him, officials said.
The footage shows two deputies kicking the inmate’s upper body, close to his head.
Another deputy tries to stop them kicking the prisoner.
The inmate was eventually subdued, restrained and escorted to jail medical staff.
The prisoner was restrained by the guards who sprayed him with a chemical agent and kicked him repeatedly
The altercation had started after the prisoner punched a guard in the face before being subdued
He was evaluated and later returned to prison and none of the deputies needed any medical attention.
After a review of the incident, SCSO said two corrections deputies were required to undergo ‘additional training on compliance techniques.’
None of the deputies involved were identified.
The release of the footage comes after SCSO announced last week that six corrections deputies were relieved of duty with pay for ‘alleged inappropriate conduct’ while on duty at the Shelby County Jail.
An attorney for the sheriff’s office, Debra Fessenden, released the following statement regarding the incident and investigation:
‘As for the April 2018 incident, no one was relieved of duty and remedial training has been completed.
‘The inmate was already in TDOC custody on felony convictions, the decision was made not to charge him with misdemeanor assault and battery to avoid having to house him in the Jail during the pendency of a misdemeanor case.
‘We cannot discuss pending investigations.’