‘The Hostage Deserves To Go Home’: Oklahoma Co. Sheriff Addresses Jail Hostage Situation

Oklahoma County Sheriff Tommie Johnson III spoke out about this weekend’s incident at the Oklahoma County Detention Center where an inmate took a detention center employee hostage.

The video was posted to Facebook Monday evening.

“The suspect stood behind the hostage with a weapon behind his throat,” said Johnson. “The suspect had several opportunities to end the situation without further incident. Instead, the suspect chose to further the incident which led to this outcome.”

In the video, Johnson said he’s reviewed jail cameras that recorded it all from multiple angles.

“We observed the detention officer being held hostage, hands behind his back, in his own handcuffs at the mercy of inmates,” said Johnson. “We watched as he was dragged across the floor, he had been beaten and stabbed multiple times by inmates.”

“I saw inmates fighting, some with weapons. I saw inmates attack and in some cases by multiple other inmates and I saw the detention officer brought to the top of the flight of the stairs,” said Johnson.

Inmates said their reasoning for the incident is due to deplorable living conditions.

“The hostage deserves to go home, his wife expects him to come home, his kids expect him to come home,” said Johnson. “There is never an excuse to take anyone hostage.”