BIG STONE GAP, Va. (WJHL) — Wise County’s Commonwealth’s Attorney Brett Hall has released a statement more than a week after corrections officers were stabbed by inmates at Wallens Ridge State Prison.

On May 2, five VADOC officers were taken to a hospital after an alleged premeditated stabbing by six inmates at the Big Stone Gap prison. Three officers were released from the hospital later that day, and two others were discharged from inpatient care on May 8.

Five of the six inmates who allegedly participated in the attack were confirmed MS-13 gang members from El Salvador, who were in the country illegally, each convicted of various crimes including murder and rape, according to the news release. The other inmate involved is a reported member of the Sureño 13 gang from the United States and is 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