A correction officer at the St. Louis Justice Center appears to watch an inmate attack another inmate, a video from inside the jail shows.
The video shows Officer Demeria Thomas talking with two inmates at her podium on the “Four Bravo” floor on March 22. This floor is used for inmates who have mental health issues, according to Fox 2. Both of the inmates can be seen walking away from the desk and toward the door of a cell.
According to a St. Louis Police report and captured in the video, Thomas can be seen and heard pressing a button that controls the cell doors. Thomas watches as an inmate’s cell door opens and one of the men she had spoken to walks into the cell.
The inmate, who police say is a gang member, begins attacking the other inmate in the cell. Another camera from inside of the cell shows the gang member beating the other man and slamming him against the wall multiple times.
The second inmate who spoke with Thomas at her podium stood outside of the cell. Thomas and the inmate appeared to be watching as the assault took place.
Another inmate on the floor above heard the beating and started running toward the stair to the first level. Thomas can be heard in the video yelling at him.
“Don’t run down here. Stay where you at. Stay where you at,” she said.
A second inmate on another set of stairs tried to check out what was happening, and Thomas warns him to stay in place as well.
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After over 30 seconds, Thomas walks to the beaten inmate’s cell to stop the gang member and a second attacker who had joined in.
“Come on out. Come on out of there,” Thomas said to the two attackers while holding the door of the cell open. The two inmates leave the cell and Thomas shuts the door behind them before walking back to her podium.
Thomas is charged with third-degree assault.
“The unimaginable happened at the City Justice Center. With the assistance of a government employee, my client was beaten relentlessly until unconscious, and as he lay there helpless, he was refused emergency medical care for days. It’s time for the City of St. Louis to step up, take responsibility, and be accountable,” Mark Pedroli, the victim’s attorney, told Fox 2.
The police report claims Thomas did not allow the beaten inmate to seek medical treatment for his injuries. Another guard noticed visible bruises and cuts two days later, and it was discovered the man’s jaw was broken, according to the report.
“Ms. Thomas was officially removed from her duties as of April 5, 2021, after the investigation into her conduct as a corrections officer,” St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones said in a statement to Fox 2.
“Ms. Thomas’ actions, while they may subject her to disciplinary action with the department of corrections, were not criminal,” Terence Niehoff, Thomas’ attorney, said to KTVI.
Newsweek reached out for comment to The St. Louis Justice Center and Terence Niehoff but did not hear back before publication.
