Charges Expected In Beating Death Of Cook County Jail Inmate
CHICAGO (CBS) -- CBS 2 has been told charges are expected soon in the weekend beating death of Cook County Jail inmate Pedro Ruiz. It's a story we've been following.
CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot has learned Ruiz had only been in jail for 72 hours before he died.
Sources with knowledge of the incident say, an officer was doing a security check on the area where Pedro Ruiz and Christian Gonzalez were cellmates on the morning of February 1.
When the officer got near their cell, Gonzalez said to the officer "Something is wrong with my cellmate." The officer saw Ruiz standing, his back was against a wall. He didn't appear to have visible injuries.
The officer called a sergeant, telling the sergeant what Gonzalez said. Two sergeants and a lieutenant arrived at the cell. They "unsecured the cell door." That's when they saw Ruiz on the floor near the door covered in blood.
Gonzalez, who CBS 2 sources said, is known to have "multiple disciplinary incidents" was put in handcuffs. An officer started chest compressions on Ruiz. 911 was called.
An officer got a defibrillator. It was used on Ruiz while several officers continued chest compressions. When paramedics arrived, they took over the chest compressions. Ruiz was then put on a gurney and taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The medical examiner ruled Ruiz's death a homicide. CBS 2 sources said Gonzalez is among the five inmates in a surveillance video. They're attacking another inmate in the jail day room last November.
The inmate is kicked and punched repeatedly. After the attack, a Joker, from a deck of playing cards, is thrown on top of the injured inmate.
Sources said this is significant. It shows the continuing conflicts taking place inside the jail, between different gangs.
Court documents show the beating victim from the November incident, Ruiz and Gonzalez are all members of three different gangs.
Illinois county jail standards state gang activity must be considered when an inmate is assigned to their cell.
