Shackled Inmates Break Out of Cell to Help Guard Having a Heart Attack

Eight shackled inmates broke out of their jail cell to help a guard having a heart attack.

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Complex Original

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The country has been in a state of unrest in the wake of the police shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile and the shooting in Dallas, but some inmates at the Parker County Jail in Texas have temporarily lifted spirits through a beautiful display of selflessness. Eight inmates broke out of their jail cells to help a guard who was suffering a heart attack. 

The eight inmates noticed a guard slumped over while being held in the basement of a Texas courthouse, Uproxxreports. When the inmates' shouts for help were met with silence, they took it upon themselves to save the guard's life. Although a surveillance camera was keeping watch, the inmates, still in their shackles, broke out of their cell to help the guard who had no pulse. 

"We [were] worried because they [were] going to come with their guns drawn on us," an inmate told an ABC news local affiliate. Even with the risk of being shot at, the inmates decided it was worth it to break out of the cell and save the jailer's life. Once out of their cells, the inmates began yelling as loud as they possibly could to attract the attention of the deputies, who thought a fight had broken out. When deputies arrived, they got the inmates back into their cell and called for medical help. Paramedics performed CPR on the guard and got him breathing again. 

When one of the inmates was asked why he took action to save the guard, the inmate said, "He's a good man, he saves lives." Another inmate said the decision to help the guard, who chose to remain anonymous, felt natural.

 

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