VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - An inmate at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center is facing two additional years in prison for his role in mob assaults on other inmates within the facility.
According to the Virginia Beach Commonwealth's Attorney, 35-year-old Thomas Scott Spruill pleaded guilty on three counts: participation in a criminal act for the benefit of a street gang, conspiracy to commit a felony offense and assault and battery by mob.
Court documents say that when Spruill arrived at the jail on June 9, 2021, he self-reported to being a "high-ranking member" of the criminal street gang The Mad Stone Bloods.
Video footage taken from inside Spruill's cell on August 4, 2021 shows Spruill throwing a punch at a victim. Other inmates in that cell joined in on the assault, with some pushing him and holding him down while Spruill continued to assault him.
The victim was reassigned to a different block, but was again approached by members of The Mad Stone Bloods and assaulted a second time.
Further investigation revealed that Spruill put a "hit" out on the victim involved through a series of jail calls and tablet visits.
Court documents show that during a phone call on August 4, 2021, Spruill called someone and asked him to reach out to another inmate at the jail, saying the victim "[was] a rat, and eat him."
On the same day, a group of confirmed or self-admitted gang members, including Spruill, went to where the victim was staying and put a shirt over a surveillance camera in the hallway before allegedly beating the victim up again.
Spruill was also discovered discussing how to get felony charges off his case, along with other inmates.
