COLUMBIA, S.C. — Security team members at one South Carolina prison had to use "chemical munitions" on Thursday after they were surrounded by armed inmates.
The South Carolina Department of Corrections released a statement on Thursday afternoon reporting that the incident occurred in the Broad River Correctional Institute's Monticello dorm on the B side.
Authorities said they went into the dorm looking for a specific inmate when they were blocked by a group of inmates who were armed with homemade weapons.
The team then backed out and called for reinforcements as the warden ordered all inmates back into their cells. While most complied, the statement said others filled trash cans with water and flooded the floors while also setting off fire extinguishers.
The groups eventually complied, but not until multiple warnings led to the use of unspecified chemical munitions.
The Department of Corrections believes the incident may be specifically related to the inmate they were searching for in relation to recent contraband issues.
The agency said that teams had recently intercepted packages of contraband and an unusual number of drones carrying it over the past two weeks.
One even dropped a package of drugs next to the fence on Wednesday in broad daylight.
As for the inmates involved in Thursday's disruption, the prison system said they will be charged accordingly but didn't specify what those charges would be.
