Inmates Riot, Take Control Of Winnipeg Jail

Rioting inmates seized control of Manitoba’s largest jail and severely beat fellow prisoners, including one who lost several fingers, police said Friday.

Police said they were unable to confirm reports from prison guards that one inmate had been killed and others burned or castrated at the medium-security Headingley provincial jail.

The riot broke out late Thursday at the jail, built in the 1930s and often criticized as outmoded. By Friday evening, only about 15-20 inmates armed with clubs and knives but not firearms were still inside, RCMP Constable Colleen Kirouac said as negotiations continued.

Nearly 300 prisoners who had been on the loose gave themselves up during the day and were transferred to other jails. A steady stream of ambulances rolled in and out of the jail Friday, taking the injured to area hospitals.

Police said the uprising appeared to target prisoners segregated for sex crimes or because they are informants.