LONGVIEW — Cowlitz County Jail officials say an inmate attacked a nurse with a fork and briefly held her hostage in an attempt to escape while he was being treated at a Longview hospital.
The nurse suffered only minor scrapes. The inmate was subdued after a fight with a jail guard in which they struggled for his gun.
The Daily News reports information about Saturday’s incident at St. John Medical Center was released Wednesday.
The 20-year-old inmate, Justin Minh Tran of Longview, had been arrested for investigation of burglary and was taken to the hospital after he said he had swallowed balloons containing meth and heroin, a method for smuggling drugs into jail.
He’s now being held for investigation of assault, attempting to escape and other charges.
