On Oct. 13, a disturbance involving teenage patients led to multiple arrests at Riverview Behavioral Health, a psychiatric facility in Texarkana, Ark.
The Texarkana Arkansas Police Department received a 911 call to Riverview about 9:30 a.m. reporting that several unruly patients had started a riot and had taken control of a section of the hospital, according to a statement on the department's Facebook page.
"Dispatch was advised the patients had gained control of a piece of metal and were using it to break out interior windows in an apparent effort to escape the facility," police said. "Once officers arrived on scene, it was learned that several staff members were trapped inside a nurse's station inside the facility, surrounded by unruly juvenile patients."
At that point, police say they began to coordinate a plan of action, along with several other law enforcement agencies, to secure the unruly patients and evacuate workers to a safe location.
"Officers utilizing riot gear and less-lethal equipment entered the facility and were able to successfully separate all parties involved and de-escalate the situation without any major injuries to the patients, staff or officers," police said.
During the incident, three males ages 15, 15 and 17 were taken into custody and charged with inciting a riot. Police said the remaining juveniles were remanded back into custody of the hospital.
In total, 23 to 25 juveniles reportedly were involved in the incident, according to CBS affiliate KSLA.
The hospital shared the following statement with Becker's: "The well-being and privacy of our patients and staff are vital to Riverview Behavioral Health Hospital. We appreciated the swift support of local law enforcement on Sunday. All of our patients remain safe, and their treatment programs are continuing uninterrupted. Riverview Behavioral Health will not comment further."
Riverview is part of Franklin, Tenn.-based Acadia Healthcare, which operates a network of behavioral health facilities across the U.S.