8 inmates hospitalized after falls and fights during power outage at Indiana jail
INDIANAPOLIS (WXIN) — A power outage Monday morning at county jail in downtown Indianapolis left several inmates injured.
Officials said the power went out at the Marion County Jail II sometime before 4:30 a.m. They said some inmates fell in the dark, and others were hurt when fights broke out.
“From our understanding, IPL was tracking down problems in their line and they needed to disconnect the line to deal with the ice,” said Marion County Sheriff Kerry J. Forestal. “In doing so, it shut the power off. The generator failed to come back on.”
Forestal said the generators were just tested on Friday.
He said the darkness inside the jail lasted “about ten minutes” and at no time was the perimeter breached.
Eight inmates were transported to the hospital for minor injuries, but none are believed to be critical or life-threatening. Three other inmates were treated by the jail’s medical staff for less serious injuries.
“Some broken bones we believe occurred during a fall when they were moving around in the dark,” said Sheriff Forestal. “Some soft tissue injuries we believe occurred because of fighting amongst some inmates themselves.”
No weapons were found during a search of the jail.
The city says all inmates have been accounted for.
The Marion County Jail II is operated by CoreCivic. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office will investigate the incident.