Apr 2, 2006 12:05 pm US/Central
Two Hospitalized After Cook County Jail Stabbing
Attack Is Believed To Be Gang-Related
CHICAGO (STNG) ―
Two men were seriously wounded during an apparent gang-related stabbing inside Cook County Jail Sunday morning.
The stabbing occurred shortly before 9 a.m. in a day room in Division 11, a maximum security wing, according to Bill Cunningham, Cook County Jail spokesman.
Two men were taken in serious to critical condition to Mt. Sinai Hospital, according to fire Media Affairs spokesman Josh Dennis said.
The men had apparent stab wounds to the body, but their injuries did not appear to be life-threatening, Cunningham said.
The two men who started the fight were reportedly rival gang members, Cunningham said. A "handful" of other inmates joined in the fight and were injured, he said. However, they were treated at the jail's Cermak Health Services Center, Cunningham said.
Shanks, or homemade knives, were used as weapons, Cunningham said. He added that inmates fashion the weapons out of ductwork, plastic utensils or even toothbrushes. The weapons were recovered by Cook County Sheriff's police, he said.
No jail guards were injured as they broke up the fight, which lasted "a matter of minutes," Cunningham said.
"These things usually start and end pretty quickly," Cunningham said.
The men who started the fight had been in custody since last year. One man, admitted in May 2005, was awaiting trial on charges of aggravated vehicular hijacking, Cunningham said. The other man, admitted in July 2005, was awaiting trial on charges of first-degree murder, he said.
(Source: Sun-Times News Group Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2006. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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