The Sergeant of the prison guards returned to the building, and Jimmy looked around. Thick smoke had already begun to bellow from the right side of the prison building, which seemed to have been intentionally set on fire.
The prison riot had been underway for nearly 10 minutes, yet there was still no sound of sirens outside; either the prison hadn't reported the incident, or there was an issue at the County Sheriff's office. Normally, nearby patrol officers should have responded to support them.
Jimmy took out his phone and called James: "Director James, there's been a problem with the transfer of prisoners."
James asked, "What happened?"
Jimmy replied, "A riot just broke out in the Los Angeles County Prison. We haven't completed the handover process, and the prison guards are fully engaged in suppression. Paul and I are waiting outside for their update. We probably won't be able to catch the flight as required by the TSA today."
James instructed, "Take care of yourselves. I'll make some calls and check on the situation."
Jimmy responded, "Alright."
Jimmy ended the call then began observing the situation inside the building through the walls and doors.
It seemed that the inmates who had been airing out on both sides of the corridor had entered the building during the riot to cause trouble. Now, not a single inmate could be seen on either side. The closest prison guard to Jimmy was at the main entrance of the prison, and they had already closed the main gate and taken up rifles to stand guard.
JImmy observed again as a figure ran toward the main gate; it was the Sergeant of the prison guards.
The Sergeant exclaimed, "Matthew has been intercepted. The inmates have broken through Block B and have now entered the main building. We have to evacuate and wait for support before entering again. Let's go to the main gate."
As Jimmy and the Sergeant walked toward the main gate, Jimmy asked, "It's been more than ten minutes now, and your support hasn't arrived. How many guards and staff are still inside?"
The Sergeant replied, "I don't know. The situation inside can no longer be communicated."
Jimmy suggested, "Why not contact the county police? Their response is too slow; you can use my phone." Jimmy had already checked what equipment the Sergeant was carrying; besides the plastic handcuffs hanging behind, there wasn't much else.
The Sergeant reached the gate and directly used the phone there to contact his superiors. It was unclear what was specifically discussed, but his expression looked grim.
Jimmy's phone rang; it was James calling: "Jimmy, things are not looking good. Leave the prison as soon as possible."
Jimmy replied, "Paul and I are already at the main gate, but according to their protocols, the gate can't be opened now, and we can't get out."
James advised, "Then take care of yourselves. You're on your own for now."
The Sergeant approached and said, "Sorry, the support will take a little more time to arrive. You'll have to stay a bit longer. There was an incident in the city just now, and our forces had already gone to assist there, but they are now rushing back."
As he spoke, the door to the prison building was suddenly opened, and an inmate in an orange jumpsuit appeared at the entrance. He glanced outside, then turned around and went back inside without attempting to break out.
A prison guard by the door told the Sergeant, "We just got word; the warden and others are still trapped inside. They need our immediate rescue."
The Sergeant turned to Jimmy and said, "I think I need your help. The guards here can't leave their post, so only you and I can go inside to rescue them."
Jimmy shook his head and showed him the phone, which still had James on the line: "I don't have the authority to enforce law; I cannot assist you, I'm sorry."
The Sergeant asked, "Is that your leader on the phone? Let me speak with him."
Taking Jimmy's phone to the side, the Sergeant talked briefly before returning the phone to Jimmy.
Jimmy held the phone to his ear, and James's voice came through: "Jimmy, help them evacuate the people. The warden's office is not far from the main entrance of the building; you don't need to go deep into the prison. Also, they have granted you the right to use firearms for self-defense."
Jimmy replied, "Alright, I understand. Goodbye."
Jimmy hung up the phone, slid it into his pocket, then drew his 92F sidearm, and said to the guard, "Let's confirm one more time, I can shoot, right? Then let's go and rescue the people."
Jimmy asked Paul to wait at the entrance. The court police were a completely different type of officer compared to their patrol counterparts. He figured court police probably didn't even fire their guns once a year; better to have them stay put to avoid any trouble.
Jimmy and the sergeant re-entered the prison building. The sergeant had already grabbed a rifle and a baton from a guard at the door, while Jimmy held his own 92F, with a revolver in the holster on his leg as backup, since the number of inmates was unknown. Moreover, it was best not to kill anyone, so the 92F was preferable.
The two made their way along the corridor toward the staff area, which had a separate elevator and staircase leading to the warden's office on the third floor.
The breach had only occurred in one section, Zone B. Other parts of the prison hadn't been compromised, and on the first floor, Jimmy and the sergeant saw very few people. Two inmates who saw them fully armed with weapons immediately turned and ran away.
For these inmates, police carrying guns were quite different from the guards who usually watched over them. The regular guards only carried batons, posing much less of a threat. But the men they now confronted were not to be messed with, so they hid.
Jimmy and the sergeant reached the second floor smoothly. At a bend in the corridor, they encountered several inmates armed with batons and wooden sticks. The sergeant fired a shot into an empty space and loudly ordered them to back off. Faced with the threat of a gun, the inmates didn't try to attack but instead turned and left the area.
The rioting inmates were well aware that they couldn't escape; they could only cause trouble inside the building. Outside, they would face armed guards posted around the perimeter.
Jimmy and the sergeant continued upstairs to the third floor, where they couldn't use the same tactics as before. The inmates knew the warden's office was here, and already there were some twenty to thirty people in the hallway, although they hadn't yet broken down the door. They were still trying to smash it with wooden sticks.
The sergeant fired two shots, warning them to leave quickly. He then clearly underestimated the courage given to the inmates by their numbers. Twenty to thirty people turned and charged toward Jimmy and him.
Jimmy didn't hold back. The corridor wasn't wide, and he shot directly at their legs. The first few inmates convulsed briefly and fell to the ground. Those behind couldn't stop in time and began to pile up in the corridor, tumbling over each other. After a few had fallen, the rest finally stopped, while Jimmy and the sergeant continued to order the inmates to retreat.
After Jimmy and the sergeant actually opened fire, the inmates began to feel intimidated. Those who hadn't been shot started to get up and slowly retreat, although they kept their eyes on Jimmy and the sergeant, not turning and running as those downstairs had.
After a few minutes of standoff, chaotic siren sounds came from outside the prison building. Reinforcements from the police had finally arrived. The inmates looked at each other and began to move back, leaving only a few unlucky ones lying on the ground moaning, the ones who had been shot in the legs earlier.
Jimmy said, "Sergeant, you go ahead. I'll keep watch here."
Rescuing personnel was a job for the sergeant since the warden would undoubtedly be more familiar with their own people. If Jimmy tried to call out, the warden might not even open the door.
The sergeant walked toward the warden's office with his gun aimed at the inmates on the ground. As he passed by the fallen inmates, suddenly one of them sprang up and grabbed his rifle.
Immediately afterward, a "bang" rang out. Jimmy had fired. The shot hit the inmate from behind, entering through the upper back, and the inmate's grip on the rifle loosened, leaving him to fall to the ground.
The sergeant was startled; he hadn't slung the rifle over his shoulder, making it easy to grab. Fortunately, Jimmy fired just in time.
The sergeant didn't check on the condition of the inmate on the ground. With Jimmy covering him from behind, he felt secure enough to move forward, open the warden's door, and the three of them didn't bother with the inmates on the ground. They went straight down the stairs to the first-floor entrance.
Outside, backup police had already arrived. The guards opened the main door to let them into the building. Jimmy and the three of them joined up with them shortly afterward. The warden and the sergeant stayed with the police, while Jimmy left the prison building, met up with Paul at the main gate, and waited there for the final outcome.
The arrival of a large police force marked the end of the riot. Compared to the police entering from outside, the inmates were now very well-behaved. At the cost of a few injuries, all were taken back to their cells, although not everyone was in their assigned cell. These adjustments could be handled later by the prison authorities.
By the time the prison was completely calm, it was the afternoon. Jimmy and his team had missed the TSA-designated flight, so they definitely couldn't leave today.
Additionally, since Jimmy had shot and wounded several inmates and killed one, LAPD needed to investigate him. Luckily, he had prior emergency authorization from James and the sergeant, and with testimonies from the sergeant and the warden, there were no jurisdictional issues, just a brief report and registration of his handgun completed the inquiry.
After it was clear that Jimmy was not in trouble, James contacted TSA again to confirm the flight. On the fourth day after the prison riot, Jimmy and Paul, along with Dick Diaz, took a LAPD squad car to the aircraft that would return them to Little Rock.
The flight was very smooth. Perhaps Dick knew of Jimmy's actions during the prison riot as he was very cooperative throughout, not showing the defiance typical of other murderers. He even notified Jimmy and the others before heading to the restroom under their watchful eyes.
Jimmy and Paul successfully brought Dick Diaz to the detention center, where he would be held while awaiting trial.
Jimmy returned to the county police headquarters, prepared a report on the mission, and submitted it to Chief James.