By Caitlin Schmidt
The Arizona Daily Star, Tucson
FLORENCE, Ariz.— A guard at the Pinal County jail was seriously injured by two inmates on Saturday, in what officials are calling a planned attack.
The corrections officer suffered a broken nose and ankle, after he was followed into a recreation room and beaten by the two men, said Matt Clark, a Pinal County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.
The inmates, 32-year-old Ismael Martinez and 35-year-old Fabian Mendivil are facing felony charges of aggravated assault, and are in segregated custody, Clark said.
At about 1 p.m. on July 31, the officer was making routine security checks, when he was attacked by the men and repeatedly punched in the face and body. The officer fought back, while a second officer ran over to help, Clark said.
Despite having a broken ankle and broken nose, the injured officer was able to take one of the inmates to the ground and subdue him, Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeau said in a news release.
The second officer, who suffered injuries to his wrist and hand, was able to subdue the second inmate, Clark said.
Martinez was injured during the incident and was taken to a local hospital and treated. He was taken into custody following his release, Clark said. At the time of the attack, he was awaiting trial on burglary charges.
The other inmate, Mendivil, was a Department of Corrections inmate transferred to Pinal County jail for a July 27 court date.