Five Virginia prison guards injured by inmates including 'confirmed' MS-13 members in US illegally

Five Virginia prison guards were injured in an attack by inmates, most of whom are allegedly MS-13 gang members who illegally entered the U.S.

Six inmates attacked the five guards, three of whom were stabbed and transported for medical treatment, along with two others also hurt Friday at the Wallens Ridge State Prison in western Virginia, the Associated Press reported.

The Virginia Department of Corrections said all six inmates had been convicted of violent crimes, including murder and rape, and that five of them are “confirmed MS-13 gang members from El Salvador, who were in this country illegally.” The sixth inmate is a U.S. citizen who has ties to a different gang.

“Five of the individuals responsible for this senseless attack should never have been in this country in the first place,” Virginia Department of Corrections Director Chad Dotson said in a statement. “Every single day, our officers put their lives on the line to ensure public safety. ... This attack is an example of the dangers they face when they show up to work every day.”

There is an ongoing investigation into the attack, according to department officials. Three of the injured guards were treated and released on Friday, while the other two were hospitalized in stable condition, according to the agency.