Gwinnett County inmates were in the middle of eating dinner when a young man emerged from his second-story cell with a sheet wrapped around his neck.
When the man tried to hang himself from the railing, three inmates rushed to help a deputy save the man’s life, sheriff’s office spokeswoman Shannon Volkodav told AJC.com Thursday.
“We are all very, very proud of their actions,” she said. “I told them what they did was remarkable, because they have no obligation to step in and save someone’s lives. We are literally sworn to protect people, but these inmates have never taken such an oath.”
Deputy Gracia was on the first floor overseeing meals being served, Volkodav said. The man, who is not being identified, was described as a young father and can be seen on surveillance video tying the sheet to the railing.
An inmate noticed what was happening and tells Gracia, who runs to try to catch the man, she said. Three other inmates, Ibrahim Mujic, Fredrick Huse and Vance Wallace, also ran to help hold his body weight and untie the sheet.
As a result of the inmates’ help, the young man didn’t receive any injuries from the fall, Volkodav said.
“They had no personal relationship with this person,” she said. They knew they were in a position to help. It would have been very difficult for Deputy Gracia to save this inmate as quickly as he was saved if he was acting alone.”
After being freed, the young man tried to run for the stairs again, but the inmates helped Gracia restrain him, she said. Volkodav said the inmates put themselves in danger though they had no obligation to do so, calling their actions admirable.
“Each of the inmates who I spoke to today said this incident has really impacted them,” she said. “They felt they did something worthwhile. I hope that wherever they go, they take this experience as a positive experience and turn it into something to be used for good.”
Huse spoke to Channel 2 Action News about the incident, saying it made him think about his own children.
“It made me think of my kids, and I wasn’t there,” he said. “It opened me up to a different view.”
Everyone involved in the incident has been provided mental health services, Volkodav said, and the three inmates were also rewarded with a care package from the sheriff’s office that included commissary goods.
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