The News

Three Inmates Escape Barrientos Prison After Riot

Barrientos prison inmates broke out into a riot, the causes unknown so far, and ignited the prison

TLALNEPANTLA, State of Mexico — After riots Monday night in the Tlalnepantla Preventive Center for Social Re-adaptation — a detention facility commonly known as “Barrientos” — the State of Mexico Secretary of Government José Manzu confirmed the escape of three inmates.

“The escaped inmates have ben identified as Ángel Roberto Hernández, sentenced for the crime of homicide on January 26, 2010; José Antonio Arvisu Caballero, who was imprisoned for home robbery on July 10, 2013; and Bernabe Ángel Ramírez, incarcerated for rape, since October 20, 2010,” Manzu said.

Civil Protection Units and firefighters, as well as more than a thousand members of the State Police, were required to bring the prison under control. Photo: Diego Reyes/Cuartoscuro

Prison authorities realized the absence of the three defendants during the second roll call, which put an operation into motion with participation from members of the State Security Committee, the State of Mexico Attorney General’s Office, the Mexican army, navy and the federal police.

Manzu announced that there will be a reward of 300,000 pesos for the person to provide information that leads to locating and apprehending the fugitives.

“There is a reward of 300,000 pesos to who provides useful data that allows us the location and capture of these criminals,” he said.

The escape of Jonathan Gerardo Galicia Villegas, who escaped hours earlier from the trial area, had nothing to do with the riot and violence that left 17 injured, ten of whom are prisoners and seven that are policemen, he said.

Tuesday morning the relatives of inmates at Berrientos were admitted as an extraordinary visit to verify that their family were well.