HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — An inmate at Orient Road Jail is facing additional felony charges after his assault on a deputy was caught on camera.
“I’m sick to my stomach when I look at a video and I see someone that’s beating another individual, what I call an unprovoked attack,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said one of its deputies was doing his normal duties Tuesday morning, moving 38-year-old inmate Michler Gabriel to another pod, when he was punched in the face by Gabriel.
“He wanted to take his hairbrush with him… and for safety reasons, we don’t allow inmates to go from one pod to another, that’s how they end up manufacturing weapons and we keep them separate,” the sheriff said.
The entire incident was caught on camera and can be viewed above.
The deputy, Robert Hoban, a 17 year veteran of the department, was transported to Tampa General Hospital for treatment. The sheriff’s office said he is suffering from bruising, swelling, and lacerations.
“He’s sore but I have to tell you he’s in great spirits and he’s ready to come back to work,” Chronister added.
Gabriel was being held at Orient Road Jail on the following charges: Driving with a suspended license, possession of a controlled substance (5 counts), possession of cannabis, armed trafficking in phenethylamines, possession of cocaine, possession of drug paraphernalia, felon in possession of a firearm (2 counts) and carrying a concealed firearm.
After Tuesday’s incident, Gabriel is now facing felony charges of battery on a law enforcement officer and battery by a detained person. Normally the sheriff’s office doesn’t handcuff people being moved within in the jail, that won’t change after this incident.
“There are some special ones that have to be in confinement and they do have to be restrained because they’re extremely violent individuals, but like I say, this individual didn’t display those violent tendencies o show they had to take those precautions,” the sheriff said.
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