Mace Pepper Spray Zaps Constable

New Zealand prison escort officer Constable Marcus McMahon was just doing his job when one of the two prisoners he was transporting turned on him. The three were leaving the Invercargill Courthouse and headed toward the vehicle waiting to take the prisoners back to jail.

In an attempt to subdue John Douglas McMurdo, aged 22, McMahon reached for his canister of OC pepper spray. Unfortunately, as McMahon tried to handle the situation and avoid being strangled, the prisoner wrested the mace pepper spray out of McMahon’s grip and used it against the officer instead, spraying him directly in the eyes.

In spite of his obvious discomfort, with the help of nearby laborers, McMahon was able to wrestle McMurdo into the van. Police backup arrived few minutes later, but construction workers and the officer had already handled the situation. Coincidentally, the laborers were onsite working on a new secure prisoner access corridor into the court cells.