Inmate Bites Off Part of Female Prison Guard's Ear...See Who Came to Her Aid

A prison inmate attacked a female guard and bit off part of her ear but was subdued by fellow inmates who came to the guard's aid before other officers arrived.

Detention officer Rachel Harris, 22, was conducting a cell check in the Lower Buckeye Jail in Maricopa County, Ariz. on Monday when inmate Bobby Ruiz allegedly jumped on her back then bit off a portion of her right ear, KSAZ-TV reported.

Arizona prison guard Rachel Harris was attacked by an inmate. (Image source: KSAZ-TV)

"The next thing I knew he jumped on my back and pushed me to the ground and bit my ear," Harris said.

Inmates Ricky Shillingford and Andrew Davis were the first two to help pull Ruiz off, KSAZ reported.

"He had her in a choke hold, I saw the blood was coming from her ears," Shillingford told the station.

Davis said he ran in to find Harris hunched on the floor.

"I snatched him off of her, he took a swing at me and went back toward her," he said.

Inmate Bobby Ruiz allegedly attacked guard Rachel Harris (Image source: KSAZ-TV)

Harris, whose father is also a detention officer, said, "I felt him being pulled off of me and I knew they were over there helping me."

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio said the severed portion of Harris' ear was not found, and that it's possible Ruiz swallowed it.

Ruiz, who had been convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, now faces charges of aggravated assault on an officer. He was placed on lockdown and was restricted to only bread and water.

Arpaio rewarded the other inmates with pizza on Tuesday, CBS News reported.

"Regardless of us being inmates we're still human. We've got mamas, sisters, I've got a daughter," Davis told KSAZ. "Right is right and wrong is wrong. We make mistakes to get in here, but hey, if you can correct your mistakes why not."