Prisoners saved a guard and received a reduced sentence (3 photos)

Six inmates serving sentences in the US state of Georgia arrived for community service with a sheriff's deputy. When the deputy lost consciousness, the men were able to take his weapon and escape.





A photo of the inmates went viral, garnering 17,000 reactions in just a few hours. The photo shows the six inmates at a cemetery where they were performing community service.

"Six Georgia inmates on work assignments rescued an unconscious sheriff's deputy. They could have taken his gun and fled in a work van, but instead used the deputy's phone to call 911. The sheriff's office threw the men a pizza party with homemade dessert and recommended reduced sentences," the photo caption reads.

Users later pointed out that this story took place in 2017. CBS News reported that on Monday, June 12, a local sheriff's deputy brought six inmates to a cemetery for community service.



The officer suddenly became ill and lost consciousness. The six could have easily taken his gun and fled the scene, but the inmates did something different – ​​they called paramedics on the radio and tried to revive the man, saving his life.

"When this happened, in my opinion, it wasn't about who was in jail or not. It was about the man getting sick, and we had to help him," said one of the inmates, Greg Williams.

For this rescue, local sheriffs threw the entire group a party with pizza, dessert, and drinks as a token of their gratitude. Then, a surprise awaited all the men – they were all given a visit from their families and were also granted sentence reductions for "excellent behavior."

"We all understand that Monday could have ended differently for our officer. We are very proud of the actions of all six inmates involved in his rescue," the law enforcement statement read.



Social Media Reaction

In the comments to the viral post, several commenters noted the men's strong convictions and their choice to "really change their lives." The following comments received the most likes:

"What a bunch of men: they didn't succumb to the temptation to do harm, but got pizza, a meeting with their families, and reduced sentences."

"For this, 'shaving off' their sentences is the right thing to do. It means not everything in our country is so bad."

"Real heroes often end up where you least expect them."

"This case shows that even after making a mistake, you can still be human";

"This story is a bit reminiscent of The Shawshank Redemption: you have to remain yourself and do your job, be human—and you'll be rewarded for it."