An uprising at a youth detention center in Louisiana allowed inmates to take control of parts of the facility and left three people injured Thursday night.
The incident occurred at the Bridge City Center for Youth in Bridge City, Louisiana, about 10 miles outside downtown New Orleans. Dozens of youth inmates broke loose from their housing areas and were able to gain control of parts of the prison, according to authorities. The Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office sent out a SWAT team to the prison to quell the uprising, according to a law enforcement official. No one escaped custody during the event.
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“At around 9:48 p.m., we received word that there was a disturbance inside the facility. Around 20 youths escaped their housing areas and took control of areas inside the facility. None were able to escape the grounds,” Capt. Jason Rivarde of the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office told the Washington Examiner.
The riot lasted about two hours and left three people injured, according to police.
“Around 40-50 deputies from our Patrol Division and Crisis Management Unit (SWAT) responded and were able to secure the facility by about midnight. The youths were returned to the custody of the Office of Juvenile Justice (OJJ), the state agency that operates the facility. One OJJ employee and two juveniles were injured during the uprising,” Rivarde said.
The facility is operated by the Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice, which will handle the investigation into the incident.
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Prior to Thursday night’s incident, five teenagers escaped from the Bridge City Center for Youth at around 2 a.m. Thursday morning. Four of the teenagers have been apprehended by authorities, with the fifth still at large, according to the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office.
The Louisiana Office of Juvenile Justice told the Washington Examiner that one youth sustained an injury during the riot that required medical attention, and one staff member sustained a minor injury. The OJJ said it “immediately transferred youths involved in the altercation to another OJJ secure care facility” when order was restored.
