Lee Correctional Institution, the maximum security prison located near Bishopville, was on lockdown for 9 hours during an an attack by inmates on guards Thursday.
The Department of Corrections said in a statement that several inmates attacked 7 guards around noon on Thursday.
Some reports indicated that several inmates took at least one guard hostage. Later, officials told News13 that no guards were taken hostage.
“The incident began …. when an officer was trying to search an inmate and resulted in multiple inmates assaulting seven officers,” prison officials told News13 Thursday night.
“All officers were taken to outside medical and have been released. At this time, 2 inmates were seen by the institutions medical staff and do not require additional treatment,” officials added.
Before 9 pm, an ambulance left the scene with its lights flashing just as another ambulance arrived. Officials said the incident ended around 9:30 pm.
Armed guards could be seen standing on the roof of the prison and walking on the grounds for much of the afternoon, WLTX reported. Several law enforcement vehicles could be seen entering the facility with their sirens and lights on, according to the TV station.
The State Law Enforcement Division and a prison “emergency team” secured the inmate dorm where the incident happened, officials told WBTW.
WLTX spoke with a woman who came to the prison at 10:30 a.m. to pick her son up. She said was told that she would see him within 10 minutes, and went away to get gas at a nearby station.
When she returned, she was told the prison was on lockdown, and that she would not be allowed inside, according to WLTX.
“The next thing we know we’ve got people running around, we got gun, we got shields,” she told the TV station.
Lee Correctional opened in 1993. Currently, nearly 1,000 inmates are housed there.
STATEMENT FROM PRISON OFFICIALS TO WBTW
A short time ago, an inmate dorm at Lee Correctional Institution was secured by our emergency team and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division.
The incident began today just after noon when an officer was trying to search an inmate and resulted in multiple inmates assaulting seven officers. All officers were taken to outside medical and have been released.
At this time, 2 inmates were seen by the institutions medical staff and do not require additional treatment.
We would like to reiterate that no correctional officers were ever taken hostage.
This incident will be under further investigation. We would like to thank SLED, local law enforcement and EMS for assisting us.
