Thursday, 4:30 PM
7 Essex inmates accused of assaulting correction officers in shower
By Andrew Ryan, Globe Staff
Seven inmates at the Essex House of Correction will face assault and other charges today in court after authorities say they attacked three correction officers in the showers, beating them with shackles.
One of the inmates, Juan Rivera, 24, of Boston, will also face an attempted murder charge for the four-minute melee overnight in the high-security section of the Middleton facility, according to Paul Fleming, a spokesman for the Essex sheriff department. The three correction officers were taken to a local hospital, treated for head injuries, and released, Fleming said.
Early this morning, the seven men had been taken to a bathing facility. The correction officers followed protocol by removing the shackles and foot chains from the inmates and locking each man inside an individual shower stall, Fleming said.
At 12:25 a.m., the inmates are accused of crawling through a space between the door to the stall and the floor, grabbing the shackles, and attacking the officers. Other officers rush to the shower room and stopped the ruckus, Fleming said. Investigators are trying to determine if it was a spontaneous assault or a planned attack.
The inmates are scheduled to be arraigned in Salem District Court. Fleming identified the other suspects as: Angel Andrades, 28; Jurrell Laronal, 21; Alexis Maldonado, 28; Eddy Lopez, 30; Raul Carraquillo, 35, and Miguel Diaz, whose age was not immediately available.
