4 detention officers hurt, 1 seriously, in inmate attack

Four Maricopa County detention officers were injured, one seriously, when attacked Wednesday by an inmate in the mental health unit of the Lower Buckeye Jail, Sheriff Joe Arpaio said.

Video footage revealed an inmate in an unauthorized area of the housing pod had been told to return to his cell before he assaulted two officers in an "unprovoked attack", Arpaio said.

Detention officers used a Taser on the inmate four times to no avail, according to a Sheriff's Office statement.

"Our guys tried to do the best that they could," Arpaio said. "They used a Taser, but that did not have much effect on the 18 year old."

As other detention officers approached, the inmate attacked them as well, resulting in four officers being taken to St Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center for evaluation and treatment, Arpaio said.

One of the injured officers had been knocked unconscious Detention Officer Scott Beatty, 44, a 15 year veteran, suffered broken facial bones and a brain bleed. Beatty remained in the hospital's Neuroscience ICU on Wednesday afternoon, the Sheriff's Office statement said.

"We never know what is going to happen in jail, especially in the psychiatric ward," Arpaio said.

The inmate posed no previous threat, having been put in the jail only two weeks prior for minor felony charges, Arpaio said. He has since been put into "lock down."

The Sheriff's Office declined to identify the inmate but said he is 18 years old and that authorities plan to pursue an aggravated assault case against him.