Two hurt in jail brawl

Two other inmates are arrested after serious injuries occur in downtown Denver facility

Two Denver jail inmates were hospitalized and two others were arrested after a fight broke out in a pod for unruly inmates early Tuesday morning, authorities say.

The fight happened in Pod 3F in the downtown Denver jail at 5:30 a.m., according to jail and police officials. Two of the men were severely injured, Denver police spokeswoman Christine Downs said.

Police records administrator Mary Dulacki confirmed two of the four men involved in the fight were arrested, but she denied a request for video of the brawl because it is evidence in a criminal investigation.

“To maintain the integrity of that investigation and the integrity of a potential prosecution, your request is denied,” she said in a message. Bennie Milliner, spokesman for the Denver Sheriff Department, confirmed that the fight happened early Tuesday morning. It happened about an hour after the jail began serving breakfast to inmates at 4:30 a.m., he said.

“It was a fight in the jail,” Milliner said. “Not much news there.”

He confirmed that the fight broke out in a special pod for offenders who have shown aggression and other behaviors that require more supervision. The offenders are kept in cells with between three and eight inmates rather than in dorm areas that hold many more inmates, he said.

Milliner said the suspects have been separated from the injured inmates.

Few details about the fight itself, including the types of injuries the hospitalized offenders suffered and the names of the inmates, have been released.

“Our detectives are investigating it,” Downs said.

Milliner said there will be an internal investigation into the roles of inmates involved in the fight and the deputies who oversee Pod 3F.