Haiti prison break leaves 25 dead and hundreds escaped

Haitian authorities announced Friday that more than 400 inmates escaped and 25 people died in a prison breakout, making it the country’s largest and deadliest one in a decade, with the prison director and a powerful gang leader among those killed.

The breakout at Croix-des-Bouquets prison on the outskirts of the capital Port-au-Prince on Thursday was believed to be an attempt to free gang leader Arnel Joseph; who had been Haiti’s most wanted fugitive until his 2019 arrest on charges including rape, kidnapping, and murder.

Joseph was riding on a motorcycle through the Artibonite area in the town of L’Estère on Friday; a day after his escape when he was spotted at a checkpoint; police spokesman Gary Desrosiers told. He said Joseph pulled out a gun and, subsequently, died in an exchange of gunfire with police.

Joseph ruled Village de Dieu, or Village of God, a shantytown in Port-au-Prince, and other communities, including some in Artibonite, which is Haiti’s largest department.

Haiti prison break

Authorities have not yet provided much detail about the breakout; except to say that 60 inmates have been recaptured and the investigation is ongoing. State secretary, Frantz Exantus, said authorities have created several commissions to investigate who organized the breakout and why. Among those killed was the prison director, identified as Paul Joseph Hector.

The prison is known for a 2014 breakout in which more than 300 of the 899 inmates escaped. Some believed that the attack was designed to free Clifford Brandt, the son of a prominent businessman, who had been imprisoned since 2012 for allegedly kidnapping the adult children of a rival businessman. Brandt was captured two days later near the Dominican Republic border.

After the 2014 breakout; officials said they were taking steps to up security at the prison, including installing security cameras and placing ankle monitors on the most dangerous prisoners. It was not immediately clear if any of those measures were taken. At the time of Thursday’s breakout, the prison held 1,542 inmates, nearly twice its capacity.

Haiti’s president, Jovenel Moise, tweeted on Friday that he condemned the most recent jailbreak and asked people to remain calm. He added that Haiti’s national police was “instructed to take “all measures” to bring the situation under control