Four Juveniles Charged After Riot Injures Staff at Fairfield Youth Facility
A riot at a Fairfield youth facility led to injuries among staff and charges against four juveniles
Fairfield, Juveniles, Riot, Staff Injuries, Police
According to State Trooper Steve Limani, more charges could be coming as they review surveillance footage from the Outside In School of Experiential Learning. The chaos kicked off around 8:30 p.m. when one juvenile insulted another, and things escalated quickly.
The staff tried to step in, but the kids turned on them. It was a scene with dozens of juveniles involved, and it got pretty rough. The four arrested were Rockey Magar, Lamont Warren, Christian J. White, and Faizon Way, all facing serious charges like riot and aggravated assault.
Limani mentioned that these four seemed to be the main troublemakers. Staff described a chaotic scene where kids were making weapons out of whatever they could find—pencils, wooden handles, and spoons—while running and fighting in the halls.
White and Way even threatened to kill a staff member who was trying to help. Way used a lamp as a weapon, and White had a pencil and a broken piece of glass. Another staff member reported that Way hit someone in the ribs with a broken broom handle, while Magar punched a counselor in the jaw, and Warren swung a sharpened pencil at a staff member.
When police arrived, the kids didn’t really fight back. They focused on identifying the ringleaders to get them out of the situation. Each of the four teens is being held on $100,000 bail, and they don’t have attorneys listed yet. Their preliminary hearings are set for January 17.
The facility, Outside In, offers various youth programs, including substance abuse treatment and juvenile justice services. It’s unclear why these four were there, and a message left for the organization went unanswered.
Limani estimated the damage at tens of thousands of dollars, with a fire extinguisher discharged, the fire system damaged, and a urinal smashed. The facility is partially open, but the incident started with an argument between juveniles in two cabins, each licensed for up to 12 kids. Those cabins were last inspected in August.