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ST. LOUIS — A man who was detained in the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ jail in 2022 says guards pepper sprayed and severely beat him after he tried to escape a potentially dangerous situation in the facility, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

Junior Robinson was detained at the City Justice Center when he said he felt threatened by other people housed in the same area as him at the jail, the suit says. He requested to move but was denied. 

Shortly after 8:20 a.m. on March 17, 2022, Robinson jumped over a wall, the lawsuit says. Corrections officers used pepper spray before moving him to a different area. 

Later that day, he was taken to a cell in isolation. Three officers then took him out of his cell and beat him, resulting in head and nose injuries, a fractured cheekbone and lost teeth, according to the lawsuit. 

Robinson's suit says such conduct is allowed to flourish in a jail that does not adequately train officers and "completely disregards detainee complaints regarding instances of force." He is seeking an unspecified amount of damages. 

A city safety department spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.