Inmates at a North Carolina jail briefly seized control of part of the facility Monday morning after overpowering correctional staff, triggering a law enforcement response that ended with authorities regaining control.
The incident unfolded around 5 a.m. at the Bertie-Martin Regional Detention Center in Windsor, where three guards and 88 inmates were inside when the disturbance began, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.
By early Monday afternoon, state investigators and the FBI had entered the jail and “cleared the facility,” authorities said. All inmates and staff were accounted for, and anyone injured received medical treatment.
The 90-bed facility, which houses pretrial detainees and short-term inmates from Bertie and Martin counties, has since been secured. All inmates have been transferred to other locations while officials assess damage to the building.
Bertie County Sheriff Tyrone Ruffin said inmates took two guards hostage during the takeover, while a third guard managed to escape. After negotiations, the two detained guards and 80 inmates were released, leaving eight inmates inside the facility before law enforcement moved in.
The guards were released without further injury, though Ruffin said they were taken for medical treatment. Officials did not provide details about their conditions.
Most of the remaining inmates surrendered after authorities entered the facility, said Chad Flowers, a spokesperson for the State Bureau of Investigation.
It remains unclear what sparked the takeover, whether any weapons were involved or whether officers used force while retaking control. Officials also have not explained why only three guards were supervising the jail at the time of the incident.
North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein condemned the unrest and called for accountability.
“The perpetrators must be held accountable for this horrifying action,” Stein said in a statement posted on X. He added that the state must work to prevent similar incidents, including improving recruitment, retention and pay for correctional officers.
Sheriff Ruffin said officials were still working to determine what led to the disturbance.
“Right now we have a lot going on that we’re trying to get under control,” Ruffin said. “I will release that information to the public as soon as I can.”
