Four helpless inmates shackled to a table were brutally attacked by a fellow prisoner serving life for murder at one of Ohio's most notorious maximum-security prisons.

Surveillance footage inside the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Scioto County captured the horrific attack which sees blood spurting on to the prison walls.

Shamieke Pugh, who was one of the four inmates attacked on June 4, 2017, has now served his four-year sentence for burglary and believes the prison guards helped to orchestrate the attack.

His theory, however, is vehemently denied by the prison system and the guards' union.

'He was trying to kill us for sure,' said Pugh, who is now out of prison and still recovering from stab wounds in his arm, chest and back 18 months after the attack.

Surveillance footage inside the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville, Scioto County captured the horrific attack which sees blood spurting on to the prison walls

Greg Reinke, 38, (left) allegedly told prison officers he 'just wanted to kill someone that day'. Shamieke Pugh (right) shows his scars from the attack

Pugh and three other inmates had been playing a game of cards during recreation outside of their cells, when convicted murderer Greg Reinke - shackled only by his feet - suddenly springs up from the table behind them.

Clasping a homemade seven-inch shiv, Reinke unleashes a frenzied assault on the quartet stabbing each of them multiple times as they remain handcuffed to a table, unable to defend themselves.

Eventually, one of the victims is able to break free and fight back.

The attack continues for just under a minute before a guard emerges at the top of the hallway and begins charging towards Reinke.

Three minutes after the assault, the severely injured inmates are finally unshackled from the table, leaving behind a bloody scene.

The four inmates, handcuffed to a table, are seen being attacked by Reinke above

The victims scramble around the table to try and defend themselves as Reinke advances

Investigators say they haven't identified a specific motive behind the attack, and say there is no evidence of it being racially aggravated.

Reinke, 38, was later found with another make-shift knife on his person after he was subdued.

Officials at the prison won't say how the attacker managed to escape his handcuffs and smuggle two shivs out from his cell.

According to a report at the prison, Reinke 'just felt like killing someone' that day.

Despite his shocking claim, authorities initially chose not to pursue charges against the attack as he's already serving a life-sentence for aggravated murder in a 2004 shooting in Cleveland.

But eight months later Reinke struck again, and this time he colluded with another prisoner to attack guard Matthew Matthias, who suffered 32 stab wounds and still hasn't returned to work.

Pugh (pictured) is now out of prison and recovering from the multiple stab wounds suffered in the attack

Now, following the appointment of Scioto County prosecutor Shane Tieman, Reinke has been charged for both assaults and pleaded not guilty.

Tieman described the video as 'disturbing' and added he was bothered by the delay in the guards' response.

The inmates who were stabbed, though offenders themselves, deserve justice, Tieman said.

'These victims deserve their day in court too,' he said. 'To say, "This was done to me," and for us to stand up and say "It's not right, what has been done to these victims."'

Scioto County Prosecuting Attorney Shane Tieman brought charges against Reinke for the two attacks. He said everyone deserves justice - inmate or not

After the attack, Lucasville ended the practice of shackling multiple inmates seated at a table.

However no system can prevent opportunities for violence, says Christopher Mabe, president of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association.

'There's no such thing as an inmate being locked in a cell, no matter what the security status is, for 24 hours, seven days a week,' he said.

'That's not what we do.'

No guards involved with the incident have been disciplined.

This month, a report revealed the committee responsible for surveying operations at the prison is desperately underfunded. With just one full-time member of staff and interns being left to conduct inspections. Pictured above the exterior of the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility, in Lucasville, Ohio

Last week, a report by Cleveland.com revealed the Correctional Institution Inspection Committee responsible for monitoring safety measures and operations at Southern Ohio Correctional Facility had just one full-time staff member, and was relying on interns to conduct prison inspections.

Two inmates detained on drug charges at the prison managed to escape the facility in December, spending several days at large before their eventual capture.

Twenty-five years ago, nine inmates and one officer died at the prison after 450 inmates rioted for 11-days.

It's considered of America's biggest ever inmate coups.