Shelby County Jail inmates injured after objects in jail set on fire, cell doors broken

Four inmates at the Shelby County Jail were taken to the hospital Friday night after "several disturbances" involving objects being set on fire and cell doors being knocked off their tracks, the Shelby County Sheriff's Office said Saturday.

All the inmates were taken to Regional One in non-critical condition, treated and have been returned to the jail, commonly known as 201 Poplar.

Jail staff were able to extinguish the fires and de-escalate the situation, SCSO said, but added that inmates were secured "with the use of a chemical agent, allowing the incident to be concluded peacefully."

In a statement posted to social media, Chief Deputy Anthony Buckner said the incident was an example of the need for a new jail facility and the need for more staff at the jail. Shelby County Sheriff Floyd Bonner has long been asking for a new jail and increased correctional staff.

Friday night's incident comes after separate incidents involving cell door locking issues, which The Commercial Appeal has previously reported. In one instance, cell doors broke due to a power surge. In a separate instance, SCSO said other doors were broken by inmates and due to the old age of the facility.

More: More cell locks broken by inmates, building age in ongoing Memphis jail facility struggles

More: Shelby County deputies relocate jail inmates after power surge breaks cell locks at 201 Poplar

In the statement, Buckner said the Friday incident, which started around 10 p.m., was contained to one housing unit at the jail. While the door to the unit was not compromised, Buckner said the door was tied closed from the inside using bed sheets in an attempt to prevent authorities from entering the housing unit.

SCSO deputies assisted jail correctional staff in and securing the inmates. It was not immediately clear what type of chemical agent was used to help secure the inmates.

Buckner said no SCSO staff was injured Friday. All the inmates in the impacted housing unit have been relocated to another part of the jail.

"We want to be clear, even with our staffing shortages and need for a new jail, we will not tolerate this kind of behavior," Buckner said. "This incident is under criminal investigation and charges are forthcoming."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Inmates at Shelby County Jail injured after objects set on fire