2 correctional officers assaulted by inmates at Stillwater prison
An aerial shot of Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater. (FOX 9)
STILLWATER, Minn. (FOX 9) - Two correctional officers were injured after they were assaulted by inmates at the Stillwater prison Saturday morning, the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) said.
According to the DOC, around 11:30 a.m. at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Stillwater, a corrections officer at a housing unit security post was attacked by an inmate. During the assault on the officer, a different inmate who witnessed the assault, and a second correctional officer stepped in to try and stop the attack.
Then, another inmate "jumped in" and started to assault the second correctional officer, the DOC said.
The officers were taken to the hospital, where they were treated and released, the DOC said. Officials did not say the extent of the officers' injuries.
The DOC said the two incarcerated people involved in the assault were transported to Minnesota Correctional Facility-Oak Park Heights, which is Minnesota's maximum security prison.
The DOC says the Stillwater prison will remain on lockdown to allow for an investigation.
Once the investigation is complete, it will be sent to the Washington County Attorney's Office for consideration of "felony charges of assault on a correctional officer," the DOC said.
"This attack on correctional officers at the Stillwater correctional facility is another unfortunate reminder of the challenges and risks corrections staff face," said Department of Corrections Commissioner Paul Schnell. "We will pursue prosecution of the perpetrators of these cowardly attacks to the fullest extent of the law, and we recognize and appreciate the honorable actions of the incarcerated man who courageously intervened," Schnell added.