N.C. Inmates Seize Detention Center, Take Guards Hostage
What to know
- North Carolina authorities regained control of the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center after inmates assaulted guards, took control of the facility and held two guards hostage for several hours.
- The uprising began early Monday morning with 88 inmates and three guards inside the detention center; one guard escaped while two were held hostage before being released through negotiations.
- Multiple guards were injured, inmates were transferred to other facilities and investigators are working to determine what sparked the takeover.
An uprising that left inmates in control of a detention center has ended with some people injured, North Carolina officials say.
The N.C. State Bureau of Investigation regained control of the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center around 1:45 p.m. Monday, according to a June 29 news release.
“The SBI and FBI have cleared the facility. All inmates and staff are safe and accounted for, and those who sustained injuries have received treatment,” the SBI said.
“Inmates have been transferred to other facilities for housing, and the detention center will remain secured while personnel assess the extent of the damage. The public is asked to avoid the area as crews continue working to clear the scene.”
The injured included prison guards, officials said. Details of their injuries were not released.
Inmates gained control of the facility around 5 a.m. Monday, after assaulting the guards, officials said.
“At the time of the takeover, a total of 88 inmates and 3 guards were inside the facility. Shortly after the incident began, one guard was able to escape the facility, while two guards were taken hostage,” the SBI reported.
Negotiations led to the release of 18 inmates and the two guards at 9:30 a.m. Monday. Another “large group” of inmates was released 20 minutes later, officials said.
It was suspected only eight inmates remained in the facility when SBI agents made entry to take them into custody, officials said.
Details of what started the uprising have not been released.
The facility is “an independent agency” that is not operated by the Bertie County Sheriff’s Office, or the Martin County Sheriff’s Office, officials said.
It is located in Windsor, about a 115-mile drive northeast from downtown Raleigh.
Nearly 20 law enforcement agencies were called to the scene, officials said.
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