FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Nikolas Cruz, who is accused in the shooting deaths of 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, attacked a detention deputy Tuesday, according to officials.

Just before 6 p.m., a Broward County Sheriff's detention center deputy assigned to guard Cruz in the county jail's dayroom area in Fort Lauderdale told Cruz not to drag his sandals on the ground while walking, according to a complaint affidavit.

Cruz responded by displaying a middle finger and rushing the deputy, punching him with his left fist.

The inmate took the deputy to the ground and continued striking him in the head multiple times, the document said. At one point, Cruz and the deputy wrestled over control of the deputy's "conductive electronic weapon," which discharged.

The deputy eventually struck Cruz in the face while still holding the device, according to the affidavit, which said the incident was captured on video surveillance cameras.

The 20-year-old Cruz faces three charges in the incident:

  • Assault on a law enforcement officer
  • Battery on a law enforcement officer
  • Using a weapon against a law enforcement officer

Investigators say Cruz admitted to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida on Valentine's Day of this year and has pleaded not guilty. He told authorities that a demon has been speaking to him for years and at one point, told him to "Burn. Kill. Destroy."

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty, but Cruz's lawyers have said he will plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence.