Arkansas Department of Correction officials say four prison employees were injured during a brawl with 11 inmates.
Department spokeswoman Dina Tyler told KLRT-TV the fight began over the weekend while guards were searching the Varner prison unit for contraband. When one guard tried to stop an inmate from flushing something down the toilet, three other guards came to his aid.
Officials say during the search, guards found seven cell phones and four homemade weapons on prison grounds.
Tyler says all of the guards were treated at a hospital and released, but one will have to undergo surgery for a broken bone around his eye.
Tyler didn’t immediately return calls and an e-mail Thursday seeking comment about whether criminal charges will be filed against the inmates.