5 Inmates Charged For Alleged Involvement In March Hostage Situation, Killing Of Inmate At Oklahoma Co. Jail

Five Oklahoma County Detention Center inmates face murder and assault charges for their alleged involvement in a hostage and stabbing situation in March. The sixth inmate police said was involved was shot and killed by an Oklahoma City police officer.

Oklahoma County prosecutors charged the men for Curtis Williams’ death. The court documents filed on Monday stated the inmates allegedly incited a riot by kidnapping the detention officer, which in turn caused the deadly officer-involved shooting.

Oklahoma City police and Oklahoma County sheriff deputies stormed the 10th floor of the detention center on March 27.

An officer fired two deadly shots at Williams, who allegedly had a knife to detention officer Daniel Misquez's throat.

Related: OKC Police Release Jail Surveillance, Body Camera Footage From Saturday’s Hostage Situation

Investigators named Williams in a probable cause affidavit as "one of the main leaders of the riot and taking Misquez hostage. Police said the other inmates involved were Gregory Jordan, Justin Leslie, Darius Pleasant, Marlon Craft and Charles Johnson.

The men face charges ranging from first-degree murder, second-degree murder and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

“We’re very appreciative of the Oklahoma City Police Department’s attention to the case,” said Jessica Brown with the Oklahoma County Detention Center.  

Since the inmate takeover, detention center officials have revamped their Specialized Emergency Response Team.

“What that team is highly trained to do is hostage negotiations,” Brown said. “As well as, dealing with aggressive behavior in individuals.” 

News 9 obtained exclusive video of a recent SERT training inside the facility. Brown said they cannot ensure another hostage situation will not happen; however, their staff is now better prepared.

“If we were to have a situation like the one back in March, we could respond very quickly and hopefully diffuse the situation before it got out of hand,” Brown said.  

In addition to SERT, staff was increased on the 10th floor, a maximum-security pod.

“We already had a unit manager and a housing manager,” Brown said. “Now we’ve assigned a detention officer specifically for that area.”

The detention officer was stabbed during the incident, but not seriously injured. Detention center officials said Misquez resigned last month.