Parkland School Shooting Suspect Nikolas Cruz Facing New Felony Charges After Attacking Prison Guard

The prime suspect in February's Parkland, Florida school shooting, Nikolas Cruz is reportedly [...]

By Michael Hein

The prime suspect in February's Parkland, Florida school shooting, Nikolas Cruz is reportedly facing new charges after allegedly attacking a prison guard.

Cruz has been in custody since Feb. 14, the day that he allegedly killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. According to a new report by The Blast, Cruz is making trouble in prison as well, and may have even tried to steal the weapon off of a guard.

Sources in the Broward County Sheriff's Office said that Cruz attacked Sgt. Beltran, a sheriff's deputy. Beltran reportedly told Cruz not to drag his sandals on the floor as he walked around, which the young man answered by giving a middle finger to Beltran. When Beltran stood up in anger, he said that Cruz rushed him for a surprise attack.

Cruz reportedly struck Beltran in the face, then punched him several times. The 20-year-old suspect then crabbed Beltran's "conductive electronic weapon," or "stun gun" from his belt. Beltran struggled to recover the weapon, but it discharged in the process.

Beltran's report said that the whole thing ended when he landed a punch on Cruz, who submitted and was taken into custody. The suspected shooter is now facing new felony charges including aggravated assault on an officer, battery and use of an electric or chemical weapon against a law enforcement officer.

The ordeal took place in the Broward County Sheriff's Office Main Jail in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Cruz is still being held there as he awaits trial for allegedly carrying out the shooting at his old high school on Valentine's Day. If he is convicted, he faces the death penalty.

Cruz's alleged attack has inspired some of the most wide-reaching activism of 2018, as survivors from Stoneman Douglas High School seek to end school shootings for good. They created the March For Our Lives movement, which has toured the country seeking to engage young voters and call out politicians who accept money from gun lobbyists.

The March For Our Lives organizers helped register young voters and educate them about gun laws. In the midterm elections, voter turnout was at a 50-year high -- particularly amongst people between the ages of 18 and 29, according to a report by NBC News. With Democrats now in control of the House of Representatives, March For Our Lives intends to pressure legislators to enact meaningful gun law reform.


"March For Our Lives will work non-stop to hold this Congress accountable for the gun violence epidemic that plagues our nation," they wrote on Twitter. "The President, Pelosi and prominent Republicans have all voiced support for common sense legislation. The years of complacent leadership are over."

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