JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — A 17-year-old inmate who stabbed a correctional officer during an escape while receiving treatment at a dental office was wearing handcuffs during the incident.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office initially reported that Juan Ocegueda was shackled and not handcuffed, but new information from a spokesperson with the Department of Human Services and the Division of Youth Services told FOX31 he was wearing handcuffs.

One of his handcuffs was removed so he could use the restroom while the other hand remained cuffed and chained to his belly belt, the spokesperson told FOX31.

The agency said this type of incident has never happened before and it is still unclear how and where the inmate obtained the knife.

The state said the teen and the transportation vehicle were fully searched before he was taken to the dental office and no contraband was located.

How the inmate carried out the escape

The stabbing happened around 9:30 a.m. inside Primary Dental at 5801 W. 44th Ave.

The officer who was stabbed multiple times is an employee of the Platte Valley Youth Services Center in Greeley where Ocegueda is an inmate. The officer’s injuries were not life-threatening and he was expected to be released from the hospital the same day.

An employee at the dental office told FOX31 that the suspect chased her with a knife.

Ocegueda was found in a detached backyard garage, still wearing his ankle shackles, police said. No one was inside the home or on the property at the time of the arrest.

A tip from a nearby resident that the suspect was in a backyard shed led to Ocegueda’s capture and he was taken into custody by Mountain View Police Officer Dominic Martinez. 

Lakeside Police Department is heading up the investigation of the stabbing.