Prison riot at Buenos Aires police station: detainees hold police officer hostage in Lavalle
A group of inmates took a police officer hostage at the City Police 1 Holding Cell. Negotiation and special operations teams intervened to restore order.
Detainees hold police officer at Holding Cell 1 in downtown Buenos Aires
A violent clash between prisoners triggered a riot at Holding Cell 1 of the Buenos Aires City Police, located at Lavalle 400, according to lagaceta.com.ar. A group of inmates took a police officer hostage, whilst personnel from various divisions of the force worked at the site to regain control.
City Police sources cited by Infobae indicated that there was no risk of escape and that, until late afternoon, no injuries had been officially recorded. However, videos recorded by the detainees themselves inside the cell and broadcast by various media outlets showed the uniformed officer surrounded by his captors and another inmate lying on the ground with apparent injuries.
"Look at the 'cobani', we've got him over there," says one of the prisoners in one of the recordings, in which the police officer can be seen sitting on a bed. In another fragment, the inmates demand: "Have the prosecutor come down," according to images broadcast by LN+.
The conflict originated in one of the holding cell's cells. As minutes passed, ambulances from the Medical Emergency Care System (SAME) and fire trucks arrived. Police officers entered and exited the building under the gaze of pedestrians circulating through that area of downtown.
Given the gravity of the incident, the City Police Special Operations Division (DOEM) intervened, accompanied by psychologists and a negotiator. Members of the Urban Containment Operations Department (DOUC) also participated.
Around 4 p.m., authorities allowed an A24 journalist into the building, though with a specific objective: to demand that television channels remove the drones flying over the vicinity. Minutes earlier, a new video filmed inside the cell had emerged, showing detainees breaking down doors and bars.
The riot occurred in the context of the transfer of prisoners from Villa Devoto prison to the new Marcos Paz prison facility. The City Government's project foresees that, in the future, detainees currently held in Buenos Aires police stations will also be housed there.
Source: Google News AR — Buenos Aires