70-year-old guard held hostage for hours as prisoners demand 'pizza and chicken'

22 August 2023 , 18:36

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This same prison has seen a series of violent events that resulted in leadership stepping down recently (Image: Fox2)

Prisoners in a St. Louis facility had taken and since released a 70-year-old prison guard, reportedly demanding 'pizza and chicken' as well as other hot food options added to their menus.

The guard was unharmed and released this morning, with authorities saying that the struggle was contained as police showed up to surround the building.

There was no riot, and other personnel were not in any immediate danger, according to prison officials. The St. Louis Department of Public Safety confirmed the correctional officer was freed but didn’t provide any information about the abduction or whether he was injured.

An afternoon news conference is scheduled to discuss the attack — the latest of several acts of violence inside the jail that holds nearly 700 inmates.

Police have confirmed that prisoners have taken a 70-year-old guard hostage at the city Justice Center in St Louis but released him hours ago (Fox2)

Police reported the guard’s abduction just after 6 a.m. on the fourth floor of the City Justice Center. Sources from KFVS12 stated: "First Alert 4 cameras were live when a guard was taken out of the Justice Center over two hours after the ordeal began. He was taken away from the scene on a stretcher."

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A source told First Alert 4 that the detainees demanded pizza and chicken patties in exchange for the guard’s return amid complaints they are not getting enough hot food, but there has been no confirmation so far. Police have scheduled a press conference for the afternoon.

Detectives told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that the officer was a 70-year-old man who didn’t have a weapon when he was taken hostage. Medics brought a man wearing a guard’s uniform out on a stretcher about 8:30 a.m. The newspaper reported that he was conscious but looked haggard.

It wasn’t clear what prompted the abduction, but advocates for inmates have long complained about conditions at the jail. It was the site of three uprisings among inmates between late 2020 and early 2021.

Sources told a local outlet that the prisoners were demanding better hot food options (Fox2)

In February 2021, inmates set fires, caused flooding, broke out fourth-floor windows and tossed chairs and other items through the broken glass. A guard also was attacked. Inmates again broke windows and set a fire during another riot in April 2021. A month later, Dale Glass, the embattled director of the jail, resigned.

“Failed leadership overseeing the City’s Corrections division has left the City with a huge mess to clean up,” Mayor Tishaura Jones said, citing failing jail locks, lacklustre maintenance and subhuman conditions for detainees.

“We look forward to bringing effective leadership into the Corrections division that can account for these issues and raise the bar on effective management and oversight of the City Justice Center,” said Jones, who was elected last month.

Yelena Mandenberg