Sheriff: Parkland shooting suspect assaulted jail officer

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Authorities say Florida school shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz attacked a detention officer at the county jail and now faces new charges.

Broward Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Veda Coleman-Wright confirmed in an email Wednesday that Cruz assaulted the deputy around 6 p.m. Tuesday. Details weren't immediately available, nor the extent of any injuries.

Jail records show Cruz now is charged with aggravated assault on an officer, battery on an officer and use of an "electric or chemical weapon against an officer."

The 20-year-old Cruz already faces the death penalty in the Feb. 14 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.