On Sunday, the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department (TAPD) responded to an emergency call from the Riverview Behavioral Hospital where several patients had begun a riot and taken over a part of the facility. Three juveniles were arrested as a result of the incident.
Riverview Behavioral Health is a psychiatric hospital in Texarkana specializing in mental health care for adolescents and adults.
When officers from the TAPD arrived, several staff members were found trapped inside a nurse’s station surrounded by unruly patients.
“Dispatch was advised the patients had gained control of a piece of metal and were using it to break out interior windows in an apparent effort to escape the facility,” TAPD said in a news release.
Initial reports indicate that between 23 to 25 juveniles were involved in the riot.
Law enforcement developed a plan to evacuate the staff and secure the patients that lead to officers wearing riot gear entering the facility and “successfully separating all parties involved and de-escalating the situation without any major injuries to the patients, staff or officers,” officers said.
A 17-year-old boy and two 15-year-old boys were arrested and now face charges of inciting a riot. The three juveniles were transferred to a detention facility while the other juveniles involved in the riot were remanded back into the custody of the hospital.
No major injuries were reported.
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