A disturbance inside Guam’s correctional facility is raising new concerns about overcrowding, inmate safety, and whether the Department of Corrections is stretched beyond capacity.  Several pretrial detainees were injured after a riot broke out Friday evening at the Mangilao tent domes — prompting a lockdown, a high-security response, and a criminal investigation now led by Guam Police.

Just after 5pm Friday, chaos broke out inside the tent dome housing units at the Adult Correctional Facility in Mangilao. DOC director Fred Bordallo, Jr. says multiple pretrial detainees were involved in a disturbance that required an immediate tactical response.

"An estimate of 12 inmates. A majority of pre-trial detainees, one is a convicted inmate is in that housing area dome. Those 3 domes they have an average of 70-80 prisoners in them they are all pre-trial but we still have some convicted inmates, that are there because of the limited space we have here in Mangilao," he said.

Corrections Special Operations personnel — along with officers from the parole division — were deployed to contain the situation. Several detainees were treated for minor injuries, and the affected housing unit was placed on lockdown as security levels were raised across the facility.

Guam Police Department officers were called in and have now assumed the investigation — working alongside DOC's Strategic Threat Intelligence Unit. Officials say the disturbance may point to deeper concerns inside the overcrowded facility.

The Mangilao tent domes are currently housing both pretrial detainees and convicted inmates — a mix the director acknowledges comes with heightened risk. "We're lucky this sort of breach of security was mitigated, we can't predict the next security breach will happen, it could be large...if escalated into 3 domes, into 200 inmates, this would of been a worse situation," said Bordallo.

Director Bordallo says his officers are operating on constant high alert, warning that without long-term solutions, similar incidents could happen again. The investigation remains ongoing, with findings expected to be forwarded to the office of the attorney general.

DOC officials say additional details will be released as the probe continues. Still, Bordallo emphasized, "I just wanted to say to the public, we are blessed to have a dedicated and committed corrections force. The 12 hour shifts that they work, the response they have to contain this incident, I have to give kudos to them. Especially the resources that we have."