Hostage-Taking Inmate Was At Hospital For Eating His Sandal: Prosecutor
CHICAGO (CBS) -- The Kane County detainee who briefly held hostages at gunpoint at Delnor Hospital over the weekend had been admitted to the hospital for eating part of his jail-issued sandal, authorities say.
Tywon M. Salters, 21, was recovering from stomach surgery to remove the plastic shoe material when he stole a police officer's gun Saturday. That began a three-hour standoff.
Salters was taken to Delnor Hospital in Geneva May 8 from the Kane County Jail, State's Attoney Joe McMahon's office said in a news release issued Monday. The communication offered an update on an investigation into the hostage incident and lockdown.
"Salters was hospitalized because he had eaten part of his plastic jail-issued sandal and needed medical attention," a news release said. "He remained at the hospital while beginning his recovery from the medical procedure."
It wasn't known if Salters had been scheduled to go back to the jail. At 1 p.m. Saturday, he gained control of the handgun carried by the correctional officer who was guarding him. Salters took a total of two nurses hostage as he moved through the inside of the hospital. Negotiations were unsuccessful, and the standoff ended with a SWAT officer fatally wounding the inmate.
"There are many questions to be answered about this incident. I expect that these reviews will be thorough and will provide as complete a picture as possible of what occurred inside Delnor Hospital on May 13," McMahon said.
Salters was from Chicago and was next scheduled to appear in court on auto-theft charges this week.
The Illinois State Police are investigating the shooting.
