Suspect in inmate’s death assaulted another man less than 20 minutes after initial attack, BCSO says

SAN ANTONIO – A man accused of killing an inmate in the Bexar County Jail Saturday morning assaulted another inmate less than 20 minutes after the fatal attack, authorities said.

Mark Anthony Wong, 52, faces an assault charge after he appeared to bite the inmate on the nose, according to the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

Prior to that, Wong was inside a booking cell with Curtis Raymond Smith, 66, who was found unresponsive while a deputy conducted an observation check at around 11:41 a.m. Saturday. A third inmate, Jeremy Anthony Uriegas, 26, was also inside the cell at the time.

Wong and Uriegas were placed in separate nearby cells as first responders attempted to save Smith.

At 11:59 a.m., a deputy found Wong on top of a 53-year-old inmate, appearing to bite him, according to BCSO.

The deputy told Wong to get off the man, but he refused, according to BCSO. Wong was tased in order for deputies to restrain him.

The 53-year-old inmate was transported to University Hospital for his injuries. Smith was pronounced dead around 12:10 p.m. at the jail.

An arrest warrant affidavit was later issued for Wong, charging him with murder.

Wong told an officer that Smith was “shouting out obscenities” and threatened to assault him. He said he attempted to hold Smith down on the floor and reached for the blue bandana around his neck, twisting it tight, according to the Texas Rangers.

According to the affidavit, Wong had taken one of Uriegas’s socks and placed it in Smith’s mouth. Uriegas was lying on a bench in the cell at the time of the incident, investigators said.

BCSO said Wong was not isolated after the initial attack because at first, there were no obvious signs of foul play.

“It wasn’t until further investigation that investigators realized there may have been suspicious circumstances,” BCSO said.

Wong’s murder and assault charges were added onto his initial charges of aggravated assault/deadly weapon and assault/bodily injury, according to BCSO. San Antonio police confirmed that Wong is the same suspect involved in a shooting late Friday night at his home.

Smith was in jail on a charge of assault bodily injury-family.

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