Three inmates remain on the run after escaping the Lusignan Prison on Monday, hours before a riot at the facility. Acting Director of Prisons Gladwin Samuels said Travis Evans, who was on remand on a murder charge, as well as Dextroy Pollard and Sudesh Dyal managed to scale the prison wall around 4:30 a.m., although the details of how they got out are still unclear.

Their escape came about 12 hours before security forces had to quell a disturbance in the Holding Bay at Lusignan Prison. Officials say that around 4:16 p.m., several prisoners “began behaving in a riotous manner”.

“They hurled hundreds of missiles at ranks officers, damaged the inner holding bay fences and exited the confined area. The prisoners then attempted to breach the main exit gate but were unsuccessful,” a government statement said.

At the time there were 558 prisoners in the facility with 80 personnel from the Guyana Police Force, Prison and Fire Services on duty

As night fell, several prisoners used missiles to damage four perimeter lights. They then set fire to items, including mattresses and pallets, which were placed along the fence. The fires also caused damage to the CCTV monitoring room.

“Several attempts were made by officers and ranks to enter the location using shields and tactical gear but were forced to make a tactical withdrawal, securing the facility’s perimeter,” the statement.

The prisoners later requested and were granted an audience with Samuels and complained about not receiving lunch, the facility’s physical infrastructure, periods of imprisonment and the behavior of some of the junior ranks.

“After repeated warnings to prisoners to desist from their riotous behavior, ranks reverted to the use of rubber pellets. After this approach failed, live rounds were used. The situation became calm after eight prisoners were hit by pellets….Six were escorted to Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation for medical attention and later sent to Georgetown Prison, whilst two received medical attention on location.”

“These concerns were noted and actions will be taken where necessary,” the government said. The situation remained calm up until 11 p.m. when more joint services’ units were placed on standby after prisoners from Holding Bay One and two others began breaking the inner fence. However, the situation was subsequently brought under control and officials say the

Lusignan facility remains secure and under control.