Hundreds of Prisoners Staged "War-Like" Riot in Arizona Prison, Officials Deny Using Force

Hundreds of inmates staged a riot inside an Arizona prison. The correction officers claimed they used non-lethal munitions to gain compliance.

According to Newsweek, the Eyman prison remains on lockdown after the incident which took place on Wednesday. The correction officers also claim that they used "non-lethal munitions," but this was disputed by several inmates.

Prisoner's account of the riot

One of the prisoners told a news outlet through an email that correction officers used "tear gas, flashbangs [and] pepper spray" to contain the riot.

Meanwhile, director of communications at the Arizona Department of Corrections Judy Keane said that none among the staff and inmates were reported injured. She also said that an investigation had already been launched regarding the massive riot.

Keane explained "several hundred inmates grouped together around staff and refused to disperse," but declined to offer a possible motive for the disorder.

She told the news outlet KJZZ that the Designated Armed Response Team and Tactical Support Unit responded to the incident and deployed non-lethal munitions to gain inmates' compliance with instructions and secure the inmates inside their dorms.

Contradicting statements

One of the inmates claimed the correction officers came in with tear gas, flashbangs, pepper spray and started, and started shooting the inmates. The inmate also described that it was basically a "war zone."

The statement of Keane and the inmate are completely contradictory, which is why a full-blown investigation has been launched.

The news outlet also said that inmates had recently complained about the conditions inside the prison. A Twitter post from an unidentified person went viral, stating that the officers used pepper balls which had been fired towards the inmates.

The person who posted on Twitter used the name Suzanne and also wrote that family and friends had been told by the correction officers not to expect communication most especially this upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

However, it is not clear if the said post is true or not.

Another news outlet contacted the Arizona Department of Corrections for comments. In a separate statement, they said that two Arizona state prison employees were fired last week following an investigation into the alleged use of excessive force at a prison in Buckeye.

Meanwhile, a video was also shown where a prison supervisor pulled an inmate to the ground while another staff member observed but did not intervene.

To address this issue inside the prison, the Arizona Department of Corrections had already set up a hotline for inmates to report incidents involving staff.

The disorder inside the Eyman prison is the latest in the string of jail riots across the country. Another riot that broke out at Ware State Prison in August left two guards and three inmates injured.

Georgia Department of Corrections said that the golf cart was set on fire and several windows were broken during the incident.