Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva released a video on Monday and said that a group of inmates at an L.A. Country jail tried to infect themselves with the coronavirus in an effort to get themselves freed from prison.
“In the video dated April 26, an inmate fills a container from the hot water dispenser inside a dorm and walks over to other inmates who appear lined up to see a nurse,” the Los Angeles Times reported. “In about a minute and a half, three inmates appear to take swigs. Deputies stand behind a counter just outside of the dorm. Villanueva said the inmates were also using the hot water to try to elevate their temperatures.”
The Times added, “In the second video, which is not dated but, according to Lt. John Satterfield, was taken April 15, inmates in a different module appear to share a Styrofoam cup and breathe into the same face mask.”
“It’s sad to think that someone deliberately tried to expose themselves to COVID-19,” Villanueva told reporters. “Somehow there was some mistaken belief among the inmate population that if they tested positive that there was a way to force our hand and somehow release more inmates out of our jail environment — and that’s not gonna happen.”
KTLA reported that officials believe that the incident was responsible for about 21 inmates contracting the deadly disease, which originated in Wuhan, China.
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