The Region - News from Feb. 18, 1986

A teen-age Los Angeles County jail inmate fashioned a crude weapon out of newspaper, matches and pieces of metal and then touched it off, narrowly missing injuring his cell mate--who is charged in the murders of four members of former football star Kermit Alexander’s family, authorities said. Anthony Jackson, 19, was booked for investigation of attempted murder, Sheriff’s Deputy Steve Fitzsimmons said. His cell mate, Darren Williams, 25, was not injured, the deputy said. Investigators believe Jackson lit the match heads, which caused the metal to be launched, Fitzsimmons said. The shrapnel narrowly missed Williams and struck the wall of the cell, he said. Motive for the attack was unknown. Jackson, described as a local street gang member, also was in jail on murder charges, but details were not available, Fitzsimmons said.