2009 Ciudad Juárez prison riot

The riots began at roughly 7 AM local time (2 PM UTC), and lasted for about two hours.[2] 14 members of the Aztecas "subjugated" a prison guard with knives and stole the guard's keys.[5][6] The gang then opened several cells, releasing 170 prisoners.[5] The prisoners forced their way into an area where members of the Mexicles and AA were meeting with family and friends during conjugal visits, and attacked them.[7] During the riots, prisoners set blocks of prison cells on fire, stabbed each other with knives, or were beaten.[1] Other prisoners used rifles and iron pins as weapons.[4] In addition, some prisoners were thrown from the second story of buildings.[4] Two of the 20 prisoners died at a local hospital, while the remainder died in the prison.[8]

At least 50 members of the Mexican Army and 200 police were deployed to end the riots.[7] An airplane and two helicopters were also used to quell the violence.[2] Earlier in the day, 1,500 troops began entering the city in an effort to reduce drug-and-gang-related violence, which, over the last year, took the lives of 2,000 people in Ciudad Juárez.[9]