FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (WHDH) — Exclusive video obtained by 7NEWS shows Nikolas Cruz attacking a deputy inside a jail months following his arrest in connection with a deadly Florida school shooting.
The nearly six-minute video recorded on Nov. 13, 2018 starts with Cruz walking around tables inside the Broward Main Jail.
The video has no audio but court records read that Sgt. Raymond Beltran “requested that Cruz not drag his sandals on the ground while walking around.”
Cruz can then be seen giving Beltran the middle finger before he charged at the deputy and began to punch him.
They struggled near the staircase and then fell into a table and onto the floor, the video shows.
Beltran attempts to take control when Cruz grabs a stun gun from the deputy’s belt, which deploys but does not strike either of them.
Beltran grabs the stun gun and the two stand up and get into fighting stances.
Cruz swings and Beltran hits back before Cruz suddenly walks away and sits down at one of the tables.
Cruz can then be seen getting on the ground and putting his hands behind his back while Beltran points the stun gun at him.
Beltran places Cruz in handcuffs and they walk away.
Psychologist Dr. Tom Bonner viewed the video and said Cruz looked obsessive just before the altercation.
“What (the circling) strikes me as is he is deep in thought,” said Bonner, who has evaluated criminals before but is not connected to the Cruz case. “He may be what we call obsessing. Who knows about what, but probably some very angry thought. Almost ready to blow because he was very determined. It was very urgent in a way.”
The now 21-year-old appeared in court Monday for a hearing in relation to this attack. He was charged with assault and battery on a law enforcement officer.
Cruz is also charged with 17 counts of murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the Feb. 14, 2018 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
He faces the death penalty if convicted in the Parkland, Florida slayings. His lawyers have said he will plead guilty in return for a life prison sentence, but prosecutors have rejected that.
The deputy involved in the jail attack was arrested last March for allegedly driving under the influence in Washington state while on official Broward County Sheriff’s Office business.
He has since been reassigned outside of the jail.
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)