14 inmates injured in gang riot at Quezon City jail

Riot among members of Commando and Batang City Jail gangs erupted Thursday night at Kamuning- Quezon City jail. Team INQUIRER Twitter photo

Fourteen inmates suffered minor injuries after a riot that lasted around 10 minutes erupted inside the Quezon City jail in Kamuning late Thursday, police said.

Jail warden Superintendent Randel Latoza said the clash started when members of prison gangs Commando and BCJ or Batang City Jail hurled objects at one another using makeshift bows at the jail’s courtyard.

The riot, which started around 9:05 p.m., was immediately quelled when teams from Quezon City Police District’s Special Weapon and Tactics (SWAT) and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology Special Tactics and Response responded to the area and fired warning shots.

After the groups dispersed, Latoza said they held a dialogue with members of involved gangs.

The Quezon City Jail is a detention facility under the management of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology and houses inmates who have pending cases.

As of April, the said facility holds around 2,993 male detainees.

In an earlier report, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology-Metro Manila spokesperson Insp. Aris Villaester told the Inquirer the jail only has a capacity of 800 detainees. With reports from Jaymee T. Gamil, Julie M. Aurelio, Philippine Daily Inquirer