Inmates come to guard's aid in jail attack

[hankthecrank]

http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/11/04/florida.jail.attack/

(CNN) -- Hillsborough County, Florida, Deputy Kenneth Moon was alone at his station at a county jail facility near Tampa when an inmate attacked him with no warning.

Moon, 64, was no match for Douglas Burden, 24, in custody on various drug charges. With Moon still in his chair, Burden put him in a choke hold and pulled tight.

And then, surveillance video of the Monday attack showed, other inmates jumped into the fray.

But the other inmates joined the fight on the guard's side, pulling Burden away from Moon and punching him in the head. One inmate grabbed Moon's radio and called for back-up. The inmates held Burden down until other guards arrived as one of them extended a hand to help Moon up, according to the video.

Col. James Previtera, commander of Hillsborough County's Department of Detention Services, told reporters he believed that the inmates "saved the deputy's life."

"The response of the inmates in this case, I think, speaks volumes as to the fact that we treat these men and women ... in our facilities with a lot of respect," Previtera said.

Previtera said that Burden was moved to administrative confinement after the attack and that Moon was not seriously hurt.

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a little sunshine

[951-Riverside]

1. I'm sure if this was a prison it would have ended quite differently n/t

[Horse with no Name]

2. This doesn't surprise me

Most of the people in these jails are there for crappy War on Drugs shit.
They are decent, hardworking people that were caught in a crappy situation.
To automatically assume they are immoral because they are in jail is amoral.

[valerief]

4. Sounds about right to me. nt

[Warpy]

3. The inmates who defended him

need to be evaluated for parole. They showed themselves to be capable of empathy and compassion, two things it takes to make it on the outside.

[snagglepuss]

6. I hope that as well. Hell people on the outside who've never been jailed don't

get involved, preferring either to gawk or walk away.

[Warpy]

7. Nurses meet all kinds

and a lot of inmates aren't bad people once they're clean and sober. The psychopaths are rare, even among inmates.

Given a choice, I'd rather care for an inmate than a hard bitten corporate executive.

[fasttense]

5. Makes me think that this guard had developed

some close relationships with the prisoners.

A county jail sometimes holds relatives and friends of guards who have failed to pay fines. So, it really doesn't surprise me.

[Joanne98]

8. That happens all the time.