"Grim Sleeper" Suspect Assaulted in County Jail, Says Official

LOS ANGELES (CBS/KCAL/AP) Lonnie Franklin Jr., the man charged in the "Grim Sleeper" killings, was punched by another inmate at the Los Angeles County jail, according to an official.

Sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said Wednesday night that the attack occurred Friday in an attorney waiting room.

Whitmore says inmate Antonio Rodriguez apparently recognized Franklin, broke free as he was being handcuffed by a deputy and punched Franklin a couple of times in the head. Whitmore says Franklin is OK.

The Los Angeles Times reports Rodriguez had been convicted of sexually assaulting and killing a 5-year-old girl.

Franklin was arrested July 7 after familial DNA linked him to the series of murders committed between 1985 and 2007. He was charged with 10 counts of murder, one count of attempted murder and other charges in the deaths of young black women throughout the 1980s. Franklin garnered the nickname Grim Sleeper because he took a 14-year hiatus in his crimes.

COMPLETE COVERAGE: Grim Sleeper Caught