Inmates who wanted pizza take jail guard hostage in St. Louis

Disagreements over food led two St. Louis inmates to take a corrections officer hostage earlier Tuesday, officials said in a press conference.

St. Louis Public Safety Director Charles Coyle Sr. told reporters Tuesday afternoon two inmates took a male corrections officer hostage around 6 a.m. local time at the city's Justice Center during breakfast. Corrections Commissioner Jennifer Clemons-Abdullah told reporters that the two inmates demanded pizza.

The department's SWAT team entered the jail at 8:17 a.m., an hour after police requested them, and shortly after recovered the officer, who had minor injuries and was then transported to an area hospital. Coyle said the early morning hours could have prevented the SWAT team from getting into the jail earlier.

Coyle said officials intend to bring criminal charges against the inmates. He declined to state what charges the city is looking to bring against the inmates.

Clemons-Abdullah said her department has improved the food served to detainees by having the vendor look at the nutritional value of food and has slowly implemented those details. She said food is often served in double portions and didn't see issues with what's currently being served.

The unnamed officer has been employed for five years at the department, she said.

The city has 675 people incarcerated as of Tuesday at the center, according to department data. About 93% of all inmates are men.

Clemons-Abdullah said the two inmates involved had disciplinary issues prior to the altercation.

"The police department used less-than-lethal ammunition to take control," Coyle said. He declined to expand on what those means were because of an ongoing investigation.

A video is expected to be released at a later date, Coyle said. He declined to release it for fear it would harm the investigation.

Contact reporter Krystal Nurse at knurse@USATODAY.com. Follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, @KrystalRNurse.