In an uprising authorities think was designed to free one of nation’s most powerful gang leaders, more than 400 inmates escaped and at least 25 were killed Thursday during a massive jailbreak at a prison in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the Associated Press reports.
Arnel Joseph, the gang leader arrested in 2019 on charges including rape, kidnapping and murder, escaped but was killed Friday when he was identified riding a motorcycle at a checkpoint and a gunfight with police ensued. Joseph ruled over a gang that controlled a Port-au-Prince shantytown neighborhood known as Village de Dieu, or Village of God, as well as neighboring towns.
Residents who live around the Croix-des-Bouquets Civil Prison said the jailbreak started when cars pulled up outside the prison and started shooting at guards, guard towers and prison offices. Among the 25 killed was the prison director, Paul Joseph Hector. More than 60 of the escaped convicts have been recaptured.