BIG STONE GAP, Va. (WJHL) — Wise County Commonwealth’s Attorney Brett Hall issued a statement following an incident where corrections officers at Wallens Ridge State Prison were stabbed by inmates.

On May 2, five Virginia Department of Corrections officers were hospitalized after an attack allegedly planned by six inmates at the Big Stone Gap facility. Three officers were released from the hospital on the same day, while the remaining two were discharged from inpatient care on May 8.

The news release revealed that five of the six inmates involved in the attack were confirmed MS-13 gang members from El Salvador, in the country illegally and convicted of various crimes, such as murder and rape. The other inmate is reportedly a Sureño 13 gang member from the United States, serving a sentence for second-degree murder.

The Tuesday statement from Hall said that while additional charges haven’t been filed against the inmates due to ongoing federal and state investigations, those appropriate charges will be placed against the suspects accused in the stabbing.

Hall provided the following statement:

My office is dedicated to supporting our men and women in uniform. Our corrections

officers have an incredibly difficult job. They serve our community by protecting us from

those who have often been deemed too dangerous for society. Virginia Department of

Corrections Director Chad Dotson continues to do a great job leading the Department

statewide. It is my hope the Virginia Department of Corrections will soon receive the

support they have long-needed from the General Assembly and others in leadership roles

throughout the Commonwealth. Appropriate charges will be filed against those offenders

who attacked our officers at Wallens Ridge State Prison on May 2, 2025. There is no

definitive timeline to those charges at this time, pending finalization of investigations by

both state and federal governments. As such, per statutory and ethical limitations

imposed on prosecutors to make pre-trial statements, I am not able to further comment

on this specific investigation. I do, however, offer my prayers to the injured officers, their

family members, and the Virginia Department of Corrections employees and supporting

staff.

Brett Hall; Commonwealth’s Attorney for Wise County and the City of Norton