A Florida inmate is being hailed as a hero after she potentially saved the life of a deputy who was being attacked at the Falkenburg Road Jail. The Hillsborough County (FL) Sheriff's Office said that two inmates, Bridgette Harvey and April Colvin, plotted to escape the detention center by attacking the deputy and taking her keys.

Armed with a pillowcase and a shank, a female inmate pulled off a sneak attack on the deputy, and it was caught on jail surveillance video. 

Several inmates, including Mary Jean, rushed over to help Deputy Lillian Jimenez and stopped the attack. Thanks to the quick intervention by Jean, Jimenez only suffered minor injuries to her neck and throat, the sheriff’s office reports.

She said she saw the deputy’s feet in the air and she had to do what she could – and there was possibly a shank that she saw at the moment," explained Denitsa Kolev, one of Jean's attorneys told Fox 13.

"While these inmates put our deputy in danger, there were others who did the right thing by coming to her aid, and for that, I am grateful," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "Thanks to the quick response of our Emergency Response Team and the inmates who showed compassion to help our deputy, a dire situation turned into the safe rescue of Deputy Jimenez. The assailant and her co-conspirator now face additional charges for assaulting her."