Arkansas prison guards held hostage by 2 inmates released, captors in custody following 'use of force'

The inmates were in the maximum security unit and were taken into custody.

ByABC News
November 24, 2017, 10:01 PM
Two guards at the Maximum Security Unit in Tucker, Arkansas, were freed after being taken hostage by two inmates on Nov. 24, 2017.
Two guards at the Maximum Security Unit in Tucker, Arkansas, were freed after being taken hostage by two inmates on Nov. 24, 2017.
KATV

— -- Two correctional officers who were briefly held hostage Friday night by a pair of inmates at an Arkansas maximum security prison have been released, and their captors are in custody, officials said.

The incident took place in the housing area at the Maximum Security Unit in Tucker, located about 30 miles southeast of Little Rock.

The officers were released at 7 p.m. local time with minor injuries, including cuts and bruises, said Solomon Graves, public information officer for the Arkansas Department of Correction.

Following "a use of force," both inmates were taken into custody, Graves said.

When the hostage situation began, emergency response teams from the Department of Correction headed to the scene and Arkansas State Police were notified. notified, Solomon Graves, public information officer for the Arkansas Department of Correction, said in a statement.

It was unclear what prompted the hostage situation.