BUCKEYE, Ariz. — The Arizona Department of Corrections released shocking security footage from a hostage situation where an inmate held a prison employee at knifepoint in December 2018.
According to ADC, a maximum-security inmate, Timothy Monk, took a male library employee hostage at Lewis prison using a prison-made blade on Dec. 26, 2018.
In the video, Monk waits until the library door is closed and he is left alone with the library employee before reaching for the weapon from his sock and grabbing the employee.
The employee was able to use pepper spray on Monk, the video shows.
Authorities negotiated with Monk and used a flash bang to enter the room. Officers used less-than-lethal force and took him into custody.
This situation lasted 2.5 hours, a spokesperson with the ADC said. No injuries occurred during the incident.
In the video, Monk is crouched down holding the employee with one hand and the knife in the other and says, "I told him, 'You (expletive) with me, I'm going to show you how bad I am."
Monk later asks, "Why do I got to do this?"
According to ADC, Monk is currently serving 97 years after being sentenced in 1988 in Maricopa County for armed robbery, sexual assault and kidnapping. It is not clear if he is facing additional charges for the December incident.
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