A convicted murderer who was among the last inmates incarcerated at the now-closed Tamms supermaximum-security prison stabbed three prison guards at another facility with a homemade knife Monday, the Illinois Department of Corrections said.
Three tactical-team officers at Pontiac Correctional Center were treated for injuries that were not life-threatening at a local hospital after the incident at about 11:50 a.m., Corrections spokeswoman Nicole Wilson said.
The inmate is serving a sentence for murder and aggravated battery and is not scheduled for release until 2038. Records maintained by The Associated Press show that the man was housed at the Tamms Correctional Center, the high-security lockup for violent and disruptive inmates that closed for budget reasons in late 2012.
Opponents of closing Tamms had argued that the supermax facility was the best way to prevent attacks by violent inmates while keeping both prisoners and prison guards safe.
The AP is not naming the inmate because he has not been charged in the stabbing. But Wilson said, "The IDOC takes all staff assaults seriously and has every intention to pursue charges against the inmate."
She confirmed that he had been transferred to Pontiac from Tamms. Those who wanted Tamms closed argued its punishment was too harsh.
Pontiac staff members received a tip that the inmate had a homemade weapon in his cell but when they approached, he refused to be handcuffed and hid under his bed, Wilson said. Tactical-team members wearing protective gear then entered the cell and while restraining him, the inmate stabbed each of the unnamed officers with a metal shank, she said.
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One suffered three puncture wounds in the right leg and two in the left leg. Another had one puncture would in the hand and one in the forearm. The third officer was stabbed in the wrist.
