FORT WALTON BEACH — Eight teenage boys were charged with inciting a riot at a juvenile detention facility on Saturday evening.
Law officers were called to the Gulf Coast Youth Academy about 8:30 p.m. after receiving reports that the teens had overwhelmed staff at the facility.
The about 30 teenagers involved were throwing chairs and flipping tables over, causing property damage and assaulting staff members.
At least one teen commandeered a staff member’s radio and began speaking gang jargon into it, according to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Law officers from the Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Walton Beach Police Department waited outside the building on Mar Walt Drive until they believed they had enough manpower to enter and regain control.
By 9:30 p.m. the situation had been quelled, the Sheriff’s Office reported.
No injuries were reported, although one inmate who was not arrested was taken to nearby Fort Walton Beach Medical Center for treatment of an asthma attack.
Eight teenagers, ranging in age from 14 to 17 years old, were arrested and will face felony charges for their involvement.
They were booked into Okaloosa Regional Juvenile Detention Facility in Crestview.
The Gulf Coast Youth Academy is a Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Facility for low- and moderate-risk youth offenders.
It is operated by Gulf Coast Treatment Center Inc.
According to a review of inmate data, only two teenagers were arrested at the facility during fiscal year 2012 - 2013.
No additional details had been released on Sunday. The Sheriff's Office said arrest reports should be available on Monday.
