Large group of inmates involved in disturbance at Lansing Correctional Facility
Kansas prison staff and tactical teams were called Thursday to the Lansing Correctional Facility due to a disturbance involving a large group of inmates.
The incident started around 3 p.m. and was still ongoing as of 6:45 p.m. It was not clear Thursday evening what led to the disturbance.
Randy Bowman, a spokesman for the Kansas Department of Corrections, said it is unclear whether the inmates in a cell block left their cells or refused to lock up, but said it appears a group of 20-30 inmates began damaging property. Bowman said some inmates were throwing linens and paper, setting off fire extinguishers and trying to knock down cameras.
Staff members removed themselves from the unit, and no injuries were reported. Bowman said staff has not witnessed any violence while monitoring surveillance video on site and from Topeka.
The state prison is the same facility where cases of COVID-19 have been reported.
KDOC said earlier this week that eight inmates and seven staff members tested positive for the virus. The COVID-19 case numbers have since increased to 14 staff members and 12 inmates, according to the KDOC website.
This story was originally published April 9, 2020 at 7:38 PM.
