6 charged in Brandon jail riot

Six male inmates at a provincial jail in Brandon, Man. were formally charged Wednesday for their alleged participation in a jailhouse riot last fall.

A spokesperson for the Brandon Police Service said in a statement that five of the men, two 19-year-olds, two 20-year-olds and a 26-year-old, were charged with rioting, failure to disperse and escaping from custody.

A 23-year-old man was charged with assaulting a peace officer, assault with a weapon and intimidation of a justice system participant.

The men appeared in a local court Wednesday morning, police said.

More charges against separate suspects are pending, and police continue to investigate the riot, police said.

The Oct. 4 riot involved about 27 inmates and lasted about four hours. The entire jail was locked down while its emergency response unit and negotiating team worked to bring things under control.

A Manitoba Justice spokeswoman said inmates smashed walls and broke several things and even started a small fire that was put out by the Brandon Fire Service using a water cannon.  

One inmate was slightly injured in the melee, police said at the time.

The Brandon Correctional Centre is a medium-security facility built to hold up to 157 prisoners. At the time of the riot, there were 282 inmates in the jail.

In the days following the incident, the union representing provincial jail guards blamed the riot on overcrowding.