Associated Press
HILO — Big Island prison guards locked down their facility after four inmates attempted to escape Saturday.
The inmates opened a door in their housing unit at Hawaii Community Correctional Center by ramming a piece of furniture into it about 2 a.m., the state Department of Public Safety said in a statement.
The inmates left through the door but were quickly restrained by corrections officers outside their housing unit.
The men never got outside the perimeter of the prison. No injuries were reported.
“Staff immediately implemented crisis response procedures to safely end the situation and prevent the escape,” said DPS Director Nolan Espinda.
The prison canceled family visits for the day and rescheduled them for today.
One of the four was Malaki McBride, who was sentenced to life plus 20 years in for a 2007 shooting death.
His conviction was overturned in 2010 after the Intermediate Court of Appeals ruled the Hilo Circuit judge’s jury instructions on extreme mental or emotional disturbance differed from agreed-upon written instructions.