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Multiple staff members injured in riot at Golden youth center

At least two inmates face charges related to the Jan. 3 incident. More could be charged for their roles based on video evidence.

GOLDEN, Colo. — Multiple staff members at Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center in Golden were hurt over the weekend after several inmates attempted to start a fire by placing batteries in a microwave and running it for 10 minutes, an affidavit from the Golden Police Department (GPD) says.

Jaylin Coley, 18, was arrested following the Jan. 3 incident and faces charges of second-degree assault, inciting a riot and participation in a riot, the document says. At least one other person faces charges but their name is not being made public due to their age.

>The video above aired in March 2020 and details prior issues at the facility.

Officers with GPD and deputies with the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (JCSO) responded to the facility at 2901 Ford St, around 8:25 p.m. on Jan. 3 because staff members reported that the inmates were "getting wild" and trying to "bust windows and kick down doors."

After conducting interviews and viewing security video, it was determined that a female staff member noticed Coley and another inmate near a microwave which they appeared to be "guarding."

RELATED: Nonprofit outlines 55 recommendations to improve Golden youth center

The staff member knew of another incident in a different building where a microwave was used to set off the fire alarm, which in turn unlocked the doors to individual rooms, the affidavit says. She believed Coley and the other inmate were attempting to do the same thing.

She approached the microwave and saw it was set for 10 minutes and attempted to stop it, but was initially "physically stopped" by Coley and the other inmate who used their bodies to block her, the affidavit says.

Eventually, she got it open and discovered batteries inside that were wrapped inside a paper towel, according to the affidavit.

Coley and the other inmate moved to different areas of the room, the affidavit says, and Coley began kicking a glass door. He also threw a pool ball into the glass and damaged it, the affidavit says.

The female staff member engaged with Coley in an attempt to stop the damage and they begin wrestling, the affidavit says. At one point, the other inmate placed her in a headlock, the affidavit says, and was applying pressure around her head, but not her throat.

Two other staff members attempted to intervene, and as they did that, Coley came up and picked up the female staff member and "threw her out of the way," the affidavit says. A male staff member was punched in the left side of his head as he attempted to help the female staff member, according to the affidavit.

RELATED: 'Smaller is better': Changes coming to Colorado's youth services center

The first staff member was still struggling with the other inmate and was "bear hugging" him in an effort to prevent more damage, the affidavit says. As she was doing that, the affidavit says, Coley, shoved her and the inmate onto a couch.

At one point, Coley pulled the inmate and staff member apart, the affidavit says. Then he and the other inmate began to "kick and break the glass windows," the affidavit says. Coley used a chair to break a hole in the glass big enough to fit through, the affidavit says. He also threw the microwave at the glass, according to the document.

That allowed them to escape their pod and they went to another pod within the facility where they began fighting with another youth, the affidavit says. That started a larger disturbance among inmates in that pod, the document says.

Video is being reviewed by staff members and charges are possible for all those who were involved. Charges are being sought against the other inmate who acted out with Coley, the affidavit says, but that will stay in juvenile court due to their age.

One staff member was taken to the hospital for evaluation of a head injury. Another one was treated for multiple cuts from the broken glass. Another was taken to the hospital for treatment of a hand injury sustained while trying to get the fighting under control, the affidavit says.

The Colorado Division of Youth Services (DYS) was making changes in 2020 after several high-profile incidents in 2019 at the Golden facility, which included several inmate escapes.

Four youth escaped between April and June of 2019 and a riot was reported during that same time frame.

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