Near Riot at MDC

BY DAN KLEIN AND DENNIS DOMRZALSKI

More than 30 inmates at the Bernalillo County Metropolitan Detention Center staged a near-riot on Saturday morning when they refused to return to their cells from a recreation yard and tried to take a jail guard hostage. It was only after a show of force by the jail's emergency response team that the inmates decided to end their so-called sit-in, a spokesperson for the jail said. Three inmates have been charged with kidnapping, conspiracy, assault by a prisoner, battery upon a police officer, and assisting in and assault on a police officer, jail records show. Dozens more inmates have been charged with assault by a prisoner, assault on a jail, tampering with evidence and conspiracy, according to jail records. At least 36 inmates have been charged in connection with the disturbance, jail records show. Jail spokeswoman Natora Powdrell-Moore said the disturbance began Saturday morning when a group of 30 to 35 inmates refused to return to their cells from an outing in the jail's recreation yard. At one point, some of the inmates attempted to pull a jail guard into the recreation yard, but weren't successful. The jail's emergency response team was called out and that show of force apparently convinced the inmates to return to their cells, Powdrell-Moore said.

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