LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Nearly two dozen inmates at the main jail in downtown Louisville broke out of their cells late early Sunday morning but were quickly apprehended by the Department of Corrections. 

 

What You Need To Know


  • 20 inmates escape cells at Louisville jail

  • All are back in custody in the jail

  • Inmates caused damage to windows and property

  • 4 inmates injured, none seriously

 

 

Amy Hess, Chief of Public Safety, said the incident began in a sixth-floor dorm of the jail where 135 inmates are housed. Nine inmates grabbed a water cooler and broke an interior window allowing them to get out onto a walkway connecting their cell to other cells on the sixth floor. The inmates then used tables to break other windows to other cells causing breaches in five other dorms.  

Hess says approximately 20 inmates then reached another interior walkway and proceeded to damage equipment, chairs, computers, and the interior atrium. 

The special ops response team got the situation under control using what Hess called "a minimum level of force." No officers were injured in the skirmish. Four inmates were treated and three of them were taken to the hospital before being returned to custody. The inmate injuries included a shoulder injury, a hand injury, cuts, and bruises. 

All of the inmates involved are in custody at the jail. Hess said none of the inmates on the sixth floor were involved with the protests of the weekend.