Stillwater prison on lockdown after attack on 2 corrections officers
BAYPORT, Minn. — The Stillwater correctional facility remains on lockdown Monday after two corrections officers were attacked by inmates over the weekend.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections said the attack began at about 11:30 a.m. Saturday. An inmate first attacked an officer, and another inmate and a second officer jumped in to stop it. Then, a third inmate began attacking the second officer.
The DOC said both officers were treated and released from the hospital, and the two inmates who attacked them were moved to the maximum security prison in Oak Park Heights.
DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell called the attacks "cowardly," and applauded the inmate who tried to help.
"This attack on correctional officers at the Stillwater correctional facility is another unfortunate reminder of the challenges and risks corrections staff face," Schnell said.
The attacks prompted a lockdown at the facility. In an update Monday, the DOC said the prison remains primarily on lockdown, but will "slowly resume programming operations."
The DOC's Office of Special Investigations is still gathering information on the incident.
This attack comes about eight months after the prison was put on lockdown when dozens of inmates refused to return to their cells in protest of limited cell release time due to staffing shortages, and concerns over water quality inside the facility.