Riot ‘over a bed’ leaves 2 dead at Manila City Jail

Two inmates were killed in a riot that broke at the Manila City Jail on Sunday morning.

Police alleged that two inmates arguing over a bed sparked the turmoil that engulfed the Sta. Cruz facility and led to the deaths of Lito Escala and Alvin Royo, as well as injuring 32 other detainees. 

The riot began at about 6:30am and lasted 10 minutes, according to the Philippine Star. The two inmates who instigated it were not named but said to be members of rival prison groups Batang City Jail (City Jail Kid) and Sputnik Gang. It was not clear what led to the argument over the bed, according to ABS-CBN News.

Read: ‘No saint’: Despite homicide charges, Duterte appoints Gerald Bantag new prisons chief

The brawl ensued in two dorms during a morning head count while the prisoners were eating breakfast, prison spokesperson Jayrex Bustinera told the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

The police district’s homicide section said Escala, 39, and Royo, 37, sustained head trauma and were declared dead on arrival at the nearby Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center. Seven others sustained serious injuries and were being treated at the same hospital. Another 25 inmates with minor injuries were being treated in the city jail’s infirmary, Inquirer reported.

Police are treating the riot as an isolated incident, but jail officials have declared a red alert at the facility and detainees involved in the riot are on lockdown until further notice. The Manila Police District is investigating whether jail officials collaborated with inmates in the violence.

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