Confessed Parkland Shooter Nikolas Cruz Back In Court On Jail Deputy Assault Charges

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami/AP) — Confessed Parkland school shooter, Nikolas Cruz was back in court Monday for a hearing on charges that he attacked a corrections officer in jail.

Broward Circuit Judge Elizabeth Scherer heard several motions but did not issue any rulings, instead deferring to another hearing Feb. 24.

Cruz is charged with assault and battery on a law enforcement officer after deputies say he attacked a sergeant in jail back in 2018.

According to the police report, Cruz punched Sgt. Raymond Beltran repeatedly after being told to "not drag his sandals around while in a jail dayroom. Cruz also grabbed his stun gun. The stun gun discharged, but did not hit anyone.

Beltran was able to regain control of the stun gun and Cruz by striking him in the face and Cruz then "retreated to one of the seats" in the dayroom before he was taken into custody, according to the report.

Cruz faces the death penalty in the Feb. 14, 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland that killed 17 people and wounded 17 others. He's pleaded not guilty in the shooting, but his lawyers say he would plead guilty in exchange for a life prison sentence.

(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)