SHIRLEY, Mass. — Authorities are working to figure out who orchestrated a riot at the state's maximum security prison. Monday evening, inmates at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley refused to lock in their cells.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Correction, 46 inmates in the P1 housing unit were involved.
The incident started just before 3:50 p.m., when two men described as high ranking gang members got into a fight. DOC said the other inmates were being put back into their cells when another fight broke out between two different inmates.
One of the inmates who had been involved was restrained, but according to DOC other inmates were resisting being secured in their cells. Because of that, staff members were removed from the unit for their safety.
“Sprinkler heads were broken off, camera systems were destroyed, the computer system in the unit was destroyed along with extensive damage to other parts of the unit,” DOC Commissioner Thomas Turco said.
Some of the broken items were used to make weapons.
“[They] ripped a computer apart, created knives and shivs out of different parts of normal items around the tier, and they were getting ready to have the corrections officers come in,” Daniel Bennett from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security said.
According to state records online, convicted killers Aaron Hernandez and Jared Remy are both at this prison, although it is unclear if they are in this specific unit.
Officers had to use tear gas to get the inmates to comply after negotiations failed.
DOC said there were no serious injuries to inmates or staff members. During the investigation, inmates will be segregated into other units and disciplinary sanctions will be decided. Some of the inmates were moved to different prisons entirely.
The prison remains on lockdown as of early Tuesday morning.
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