Inmates at the City Justice Center in downtown Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ took a guard hostage for several hours Tuesday morning.
Detectives said the 70-year-old male corrections officer had no weapon when he was taken hostage at the jail. It wasn't immediately clear if he was injured, police said.
Medics were seen bringing a man out of a stretcher about 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, more than two hours into the ordeal. The man, who was wearing a guard's uniform, was conscious and looked haggard as they carted him away.
An hour later, the city's Department of Public Safety confirmed to reporters that the jail officer had been "freed and secured." The city released no other information and scheduled a media briefing for 2 p.m. Tuesday.
Inmates have complained about lack of hot meals, but authorities haven't disclosed what demands, if any, the inmates made as they held the guard hostage or how many inmates were involved.
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On Tuesday morning, the jail , according to the city's website.
Police reported the incident shortly after 6 a.m. Tuesday. Police said there was no riot and the hostage ordeal was confined to the fourth floor.
 The City Justice Center is at 200 South Tucker Boulevard. The jail has seen several disturbances in recent years, and prison advocates said they were due to poor living conditions at the jail.
In February 2021, for example, about 115 inmates commandeered the fourth floor, set fires, broke windows and hurled furniture and flaming debris onto the street below. They also beat up a guard.
Unlike some of those previous disturbances, there were no exterior signs Tuesday of the ordeal inside the jail. A few officers and workers milled about on the sidewalk in front.
Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah, the commissioner of corrections for Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ, did not respond to a request for comment.

A corrections officer from the Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ Justice Center, the city jail in downtown Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ, is taken from the facility by paramedics after an officer was reportedly taken hostage on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com

The Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ police SWAT team gathers in front of the city jail in downtown Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ after a guard was taken hostage on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023.

The Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ police SWAT team gathers in front of the city jail in downtown Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ after a guard was reportedly taken hostage on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com

The Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ police SWAT team enters the city jail in downtown Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ after a guard was reportedly taken hostage on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com

A Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ police SWAT team member enters the city jail in downtown Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ after a guard was reportedly taken hostage on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com

The Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ police SWAT team gathers in front of the city jail in downtown Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ after a guard was reportedly taken hostage on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com

Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ police Chief Robert Tracy leaves the Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ Justice Center, the city jail downtown, after a guard was reportedly taken hostage by an inmate on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023.

Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ police Chief Robert Tracy leaves the Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ Justice Center, the city jail downtown, after a guard was reportedly taken hostage by an inmate on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com

Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ Justice Center employees wait to return to the city jail after a guard was reportedly taken hostage by an inmate on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com

The Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ police SWAT team gathers after leaving the city jail in downtown Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ after a guard was reportedly released from being taken hostage by an inmate on Tuesday, Aug. 22, 2023. Photo by Robert Cohen, rcohen@post-dispatch.com
Video obtained by the Post-Dispatch shows on Nov. 23, 2022, a Ó£ÌÒÊÓÆµ County jail inmate attacking a guard who was supervising inmates alone and other inmates coming to the defense of the guard until other jail officials arrived. Charges are pending for the inmate