By Elise Kaplan
Albuquerque Journal
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Three inmates and a corrections officer were taken to the hospital when a fight broke out at the Metropolitan Detention Center on Monday night, according to a jail spokeswoman.
Nataura Powdrell-Moore said the fight started around 8 p.m. and involved 10 to 15 inmates in a pod of 59 inmates. The three hurt inmates had shoulder and neck injuries, and the officer had injured his back trying to break up the fight, she said.
“The reason for the fight hasn’t been determined, but it is alleged to be racially motivated,” Powdrell-Moore said.
She said the jail staff used less lethal tools — including pepper spray and a Taser — to try to regain control. Ten inmates were sent to the disciplinary segregation unit, and charges will be determined by the sheriff’s office.
Two other inmates had gotten in a small, unrelated fight in another unit about 30 minutes before the incident, Powdrell-Moore said.