San Bernardino County, California – Surveillance cameras at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga captured a harrowing incident on June 11 involving an inmate armed with a homemade metal knife attempting to stab a deputy. The inmate, identified as 25-year-old Christopher Lommie Jackson, had been in custody since 2019 on various violent charges, including the alleged murder of Subhi Baghdadi, 51, of Anaheim.
The violent altercation unfolded around 2:45 p.m., prompting a response from jail-assigned deputies when Jackson tried to stab another inmate. Footage shows Jackson bursting out of his cell with a shiv, making contact with a deputy, and engaging in a physical struggle that led to other deputies intervening. Eventually, Jackson was subdued by authorities.
The 45-year-old deputy involved sustained moderate injuries to his face and was treated at a local hospital before being released. It remains unclear if the inmate attacked by Jackson prior to the deputy assault suffered any injuries. The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department emphasized the serious risk that these violent attacks on deputies pose to county employees working within correctional facilities.
Sheriff Shannon Dicus expressed concern over the safety and security of their staff and inmate populations, highlighting the ongoing effort to maintain order and ensure a secure environment within the correctional facilities. In the span of three years, there were 236 assaults on deputies in San Bernardino County, with 51 violent attacks reported in the current year alone.
In response to the incident, attempted murder charges against Jackson have been filed with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office. The authorities are committed to pursuing maximum legal consequences for individuals who carry out such attacks within correctional facilities. The gravity of the situation underscores the challenges faced by law enforcement officials in maintaining safety in the county’s jails.