A premeditated attack by MS-13 gang members inside a Virginia prison injured five guards and hospitalized two for stab wounds, state prison officials report.
The violent assault occurred Friday at Wallens Ridge State Prison in Big Stone Gap, Va., just north of the Tennessee state line. Five of the assailants were MS-13 gangbangers who entered the U.S. illegally, according to state corrections officials.
Three corrections officers were stabbed and all five were transported for medical treatment in what Fox 5 DC News says was a coordinated attack.
The six inmates involved are serving time for violent crimes including murder and rape, the Virginia Department of Corrections said in a press release and reported by multiple news outlets.
Five of them were “confirmed MS-13 gang members from El Salvador, who were in this country illegally.” The other inmate involved in the attack is a confirmed member of the Sureño 13 gang and from the U.S., serving a sentence for second degree murder.
“Five of the individuals responsible for this senseless attack should never have been in this country in the first place,” said Virginia DOC Director Chad Dotson in a statement.
Corrections officials didn’t elaborate on details of the prison attack, citing an ongoing investigation.
The agency said three of the injured officers were treated and released the day of the attack. The remaining two were hospitalized in stable condition over the weekend, Fox News reports.
“Every single day, our officers put their lives on the line to ensure public safety for the more than 8.8 million people across the Commonwealth,” Dotson said in the release. “This attack is an example of the dangers they face when they show up to work every day. Our officers are heroes, and I commend the team at Wallens Ridge for their swift response.”
Gov. Glenn Youngkin also released a statement on X regarding the attack: “Praying for the fully recovery of the three Virginia correctional officers brutally stabbed today in a premeditated attack by MS-13 gang members, criminal illegal immigrants who should never have been in our country to begin with. Virginia will always stand with the brave men and women who protect and serve our Commonwealth.”
The prison attack comes amid the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration and targeted enforcement of MS-13 and Tren de Aragua gang members who have entered the country illegally.
MS-13, short for Mara Salvatrucha, is a transnational criminal gang that originated in Los Angeles in the 1980s and was recently deemed a federal terrorist organization by President Donald Trump.
The gang is known for its extreme violence, with initiations including savage stabbings and murder. The group has expanded into Central America and various regions in the U.S.
Federal and state officials have also noted concerns about MS-13 activity within the prison system and its broader implications for public safety, Fox News reports.
In March, the administration deported criminal illegal aliens and gang members to the Counter-Terrorism Confinement Centre (CECOT) mega-prison in El Salvador, where hundreds of members of the MS-13 and 18 Street gangs are being held.
Due to President Joe Biden’s open border policy, which let millions of unvetted illegal immigrants into the U.S., it’s unclear how many MS-13 gang members are in the U.S.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, MS-13 has more than 10,000 members regularly conducting gang activities in at least 10 states and Washington, D.C., with thousands more conducting gang activities in Central America and Mexico.
