Inmates in a St. Louis, Missouri, city jail set a small fire and began throwing furniture and other objects from upper story windows on Saturday morning. The inmates are trapped on the floor but are still running free and creating damage, according to local news reports.
At about 6:30 a.m. Saturday, inmates in the St. Louis City Justice Center set a small fire and began throwing furniture and debris onto the street below the upper story windows, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported. A photo shows burn marks on the wall of the building and inmates holding signs in protest.
As the inmates began rioting early Saturday morning. they broke out many windows along an upper jail floor. The inmates threw chairs and other debris onto the sidewalks below and then started a fire.
A spokesman for Mayor Lyda Krewson described the situation as a “very dangerous disturbance.” At this time, it is not clear what started the jail insurrection or how the inmates got control of the entire floor.
St. Louis firefighters responded to the scene after inmates started a small fire and threw burning materials onto the street below. The firefighters quickly extinguished the flames.
A KMOX journalist reports the incident may have began as early as 4:30 a.m. He stated the streets were already blocked off as he traveled a nearby road.
Another video shows a rioter throwing a large object from the window onto a sidewalk below.
The Post-Dispatch reports this is the third disturbance at the city’s justice center in recent weeks. Previous incidents occurred during the last week in December when inmates expressed concerns over unsafe conditions due to the coronavirus.
Mayor Krewson and Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards were on the scene. They are reportedly negotiating with the inmates to get them back into their cells.
It is not known if there are any injuries inside the jail facility at this time, KMOV CBS 4 reported.
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior news contributor for the Breitbart Texas-Border team. He is an original member of the Breitbart Texas team. Price is a regular panelist on Fox 26 Houston’s Sunday-morning talk show, What’s Your Point? Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX, Parler @BobPrice, and Facebook.
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and additional information could be added as it becomes available.
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