Sad story but I don't think I would ever turn my back on this guy...
Inmate Kills Guard Watching Him at Hospital
By MARTIN STOLZ
SALT LAKE CITY, June 25 A white supremacist prisoner who was taken to the hospital complaining of lower back pain stole a correctional officers gun on Monday and killed him, the authorities said.
He then carjacked an S.U.V., leading the police on a high-speed chase through rush-hour traffic before he was captured at a restaurant.
The inmate was identified as Curtis M. Allgier, 27. The authorities said he could face the death penalty.
Mr. Allgier, whose face and shaved head are covered with tattoos, including a swastika between his eyebrows and the words skin head on his forehead, is a former member of the Aryan Empire Warrior gang, said Jack Ford, a spokesman for the Department of Corrections.
The officer who was killed was identified as Stephen Anderson, 60, a 22-year corrections employee.
Mr. Allgier had complained of lower back pain to prison medical staff members, who made a referral for an M.R.I. evaluation outside the state prison in Draper. Officer Anderson transported Mr. Allgier to the Utah Orthopaedic Center at the University of Utah early Monday morning.
Mr. Allgier had been shackled at the hands and feet, officials said. But for the M.R.I. his metal cuffs had to be replaced with plastic ones. How he managed to steal Officer Andersons gun is unknown, said Tom Patterson, the executive director of the Utah Department of Corrections.
About 15 prisoners every weekday are transported from the prison for specialized medical care in the Salt Lake City region, and the shooting was the first incident in more than 20 years, Mr. Patterson said.
After his escape, Mr. Allgier drove the stolen car to an Arbys restaurant, where he was captured after a customer disarmed him, the police said. Mr. Allgier and a police officer each fired their guns once inside the restaurant, but nobody was hit, the authorities said.
Mr. Allgier has not yet been charged and remains in custody in the Salt Lake City Jail.
Mr. Allgier entered Utahs corrections system in January 2001 with convictions for burglary and forgery. In September 2001 he escaped from a county jail where he was serving his sentence, Mr. Ford said. He absconded from supervision in October while on probation. He was caught Nov. 4 .