Shirley, MA – Six maximum-security prison inmates carried out a “coordinated attack” that sent five correctional officers to the hospital on Aug. 20, according to prison officials (video below).

The incident occurred at the K2 Housing Unit of the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center at approximately 11:40 a.m., The Republican reported.

“This one was a coordinated attack by six inmates on two correctional officers,” Massachusetts Department of Corrections Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Communications Christopher Fallon told WCVB.

Four more correctional officers were injured in the melee that ensued, The Republican reported.

The assault was instigated by a gang leader, and a hoard of other inmates quickly joined in, according to WCVB.

Surveillance footage of the attack showed one inmate as he walked up to an officer station situated at the end of the dayroom, and made his way around the left-hand side.

The inmate stepped into the station, where he began assaulting at least one officer, the video showed.

A crowd of other inmates rushed to join in.

As the camera zoomed in on the attack, the violent hoard separated two of the correctional officers.

One was dragged just outside of the camera’s view, where he was assaulted, WCVB reported.

The second correctional officer was repeatedly punched in the face and head, while another inmate grabbed a chair and began beating the officer with it, the video showed.

According to WCVB, the second correctional officer had just graduated from the training academy.

A large group of uniformed officers then burst into the dayroom to quell the violent attack. Several officers were injured as they fought with the inmates and attempted to push them away from the officer station.

Five of the six injured correctional officers were taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, The Republican reported.

A subsequent search of the facility uncovered makeshift weapons, needles and other drug paraphernalia, and the synthetic drug K2, WCVB reported.

“This is literally the guys who have not been able to follow the rules while they’ve been incarcerated,” Fallon explained. “That’s why they come to Souza-Baranowski. Most of the other prisoners that we have incarcerated in Massachusetts follow the rules day-to-day. They go to school, they go to work. These guys are the ones that disrupt that process.”

A Worcester County Grand Jury subsequently handed up 18 indictments against the six inmates, District Attorney Joseph Early told The Republican on Friday.

Kevin Semiglia, 28, was charged with five counts of assault and battery on a correctional officer.

Buthchhay Chourb, 29, was charged with two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and three counts of assault and battery on a correctional officer.

Jacquan McKenzie, 23, was charged with three counts of assault and battery on a correctional officer.

Tiberias Albert, 25, and Javante Antone, 22, were each charged with two counts of assault and battery on a correctional officer, while Jamaul Vital, 23, was charged with a single count of assault and battery on a correctional officer.

The facility currently houses members of 25 different security threat groups, WCVB reported.

You can watch surveillance footage of the brutal attack in the video below: