| Date | March 4, 2009 (2009-03-04) |
|---|---|
| Time | 7 a.m. MST (2 p.m. UTC) |
| Location | Cerezo state prison, Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico |
| Coordinates | 31°38′42″N 106°27′43″W / 31.6449°N 106.4620°W / 31.6449; -106.4620 |
| Cause | Gang rivalry |
| Casualties | |
| 20 dead, 15 injured | |
Aprison riot occurred at the CERESO state prisoninCiudad Juárez, Chihuahua, Mexico, on March 4, 2009. During the riots, at least 20 people were killed and 15 were injured.[1][2] Although a police spokesman stated that no police or jail guards were killed during the riots,[2] the Red Cross said that two policemen had been killed.[3] The riot was a fight among several rival gangs, the "Barrio Azteca", "Los Mexicles" and "Artistas Asesinos" (AA).[4][5]
The riots began at roughly 7 AM local time (2 PM UTC), and lasted for about two hours.[2] 14 members of the Aztecas "subjugated" a prison guard with knives and stole the guard's keys.[5][6] The gang then opened several cells, releasing 170 prisoners.[5] The prisoners forced their way into an area where members of the Mexicles and AA were meeting with family and friends during conjugal visits, and attacked them.[7] During the riots, prisoners set blocks of prison cells on fire, stabbed each other with knives, or were beaten.[1] Other prisoners used rifles and iron pins as weapons.[4] In addition, some prisoners were thrown from the second story of buildings.[4] Two of the 20 prisoners died at a local hospital, while the remainder died in the prison.[8]
At least 50 members of the Mexican Army and 200 police were deployed to end the riots.[7] An airplane and two helicopters were also used to quell the violence.[2] Earlier in the day, 1,500 troops began entering the city in an effort to reduce drug-and-gang-related violence, which, over the last year, took the lives of 2,000 people in Ciudad Juárez.[9]
