A standoff at the St. Louis County jail stretched for more than two hours Wednesday before corrections officers moved in with a chemical spray to force at least 15 inmates back into their cells, county officials said.
The confrontation unfolded inside the Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton after inmates in a shared common area refused orders to lock down. It was not immediately clear whether anyone suffered serious injuries or whether criminal charges will follow.
The scene inside the jail
According to county officials cited by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, the group of inmates repeatedly refused commands to return to their cells and stayed in the common area for more than two hours. Corrections officers eventually responded with what was described as “a spray of some type” to clear the space and regain control, though officials did not specify exactly what chemical agent was used.
History of complaints
The use of chemical agents inside St. Louis-area lockups has been a flash point for years, surfacing in lawsuits and advocacy campaigns that accuse jail staff of relying on mace and similar tools too quickly and too often. The MacArthur Justice Center has cataloged federal court filings and public statements that allege repeated and punitive uses of mace at local detention facilities, fueling long-running calls for tighter oversight of jail operations.
Those earlier battles have put a spotlight on any new incident involving chemical agents, adding a layer of scrutiny every time officers resort to spray inside the walls.
What county officials say
County officials told the Post-Dispatch that the decision to deploy the spray came as officers moved to reassert control over the common area and push inmates back into their cells. At least 15 prisoners were involved in refusing to return, the newspaper reported…