Georgia inmates praised after saving deputy's life in jail

GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. (WAGA) -- Three inmates at the Gwinnett County Jail are being called heroes after they helped save the life of a deputy who suffered a cardiac incident.

The Gwinnett County Sheriff's Office said three inmates locked in their cells saw a deputy "appeared to be feeling poorly." As he returned to his seat at the deputy desk, he lost consciousness and fell onto the concrete floor, splitting his head open, rendering him unconscious, the sheriff's office said.

The inmates whose cells were close enough to see what was happening began pounding on their doors, and other inmates also pounded on doors and shouted, the sheriff's office said. The deputy later said he could hear inmates shouting his name, and he managed to get to his feet and press a control panel to open cell doors.

The deputy lost consciousness again, and three inmates called for help with the use of the deputy's desk phone and his radio. The deputy is now recovering at home, the sheriff's office said.

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