Jumped in jail: prosecutors say prisoner attacked by 5 other inmates

Five men in the Will County jail face new charges alleging they attacked another inmate, according to prosecutors.

On Friday, Dieontae Sparks, 20, Nikolaus Vaughn, 20, Malik Elam, 21, Malik Garfield, 20, and Darion McMillian, 19, were each charged with aggravated battery, mob action and criminal damage to government property in connection with the incident, court records show.

During a bond court hearing Friday, prosecutors said the five men engaged in an attack on a 25-year-old inmate at the jail. The incident took place Thursday, according to court records.

Prosecutors said the inmate who was attacked was exiting a pod at the jail when he was beaten by the five men, who damaged mops and mop buckets during the incident. The inmate had to receive medical treatment for his injuries as a result, prosecutors said.

Judge Brian Barrett set an additional bond of $100,000 for each of the men. Barrett also ordered the men to have no contact with each other or the alleged victim.

Barrett said his order barring contact between the men is “subject to any limitations” at the jail.

Sparks has been in jail since May 29, 2019, on charges of first-degree murder, armed robbery, robbery and unlawful use of a weapon by felon.

On March 30, Sparks threw a plastic bag of feces at a guard after he was uncooperative with the guards and refused to go back to his cell during lockdown, according to Will County sheriff spokeswoman Kathy Hoffmeyer. None of the feces landed on the guard, Hoffmeyer said.

Sparks was charged with aggravated assault to a correctional officer.

Vaughn is charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.

Elam is charged with attempted first-degree murder and aggravated battery with a firearm.

Garfield is charged with armed robbery, aggravated vehicular hijacking, aggravated robbery and vehicular hijacking.

McMillian is charged with aggravated battery with a firearm, aggravated discharge of a firearm and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon.