Man Attempts to Steal Jail Guard’s Taser, Escape…Fails Twice

(Waukegan, IL)  A man that was already in the Lake County Jail is now facing new charges for an incident behind bars. Jim Ayala had been in jail for a mid-February arrest in which he was charged with domestic battery and resisting a peace officer. As a corrections officer attempted to release the 21-year-old for court on March 1st, Ayala is accused of attacking that guard, and attempting to get a hold of his Taser. That attempt failed, but Ayala was able to get a hold of an extra Taser cartridge which he threw at the officer’s head. The Waukegan man then made a run for it but was eventually tackled by another guard, handcuffed and returned to his cell. Ayala now faces additional charges of attempting to disarm a corrections officer, resisting a corrections officer causing injury, aggravated assault and more. Bond was increased from 50 to 250-thousand-dollars…and a court date has been set for next Tuesday.

Tim Vander Tuuk, WXLC News (3-8-23)