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4 COs injured during melee at NC jail

Three inmates were arrested on multiple charges

By Joe Marusak
The Charlotte Observer

IREDELL COUNTY, NC — Four Iredell County sheriff’s officers were hurt during a melee at the county jail Tuesday night, Sheriff Darren Campbell said in a news release Wednesday.

Three inmates were arrested on charges that included inciting to riot, assault with a deadly weapon on a government employee and failure to disperse on command, according to the news release.

The attacks began at about 7:45 p.m. as officers escorted inmates to and from family visitation rooms, the sheriff said. As an officer escorted 23-year-old inmate Martevis Jashawn Simpson back to his cell and was removing his handcuffs, Simpson hit and injured the officer with the handcuffs. Other inmates shouted and banged a glass door, according to the release.

Even before officers reentered the cell area, inmates “had placed makeshift masks on their faces in an attempt to shield themselves from pepper spray,” the sheriff’s news release states.

Inmates Shyheim Fitzhugh Millsaps, 25, and Rick Rashond Chambers, 26, also were charged in attacks on officers during the incident. Millsaps was treated at a hospital for exposure to pepper spray, Campbell said. No officers were reported being taken to the hospital.

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