Guyana's Director of Prisons Dale Erskine

However, their plan was short-lived as prison officers, responding to an alarm raised by their colleagues subdued the men.

Police cordoned off the Camp Street Prison located in central Georgetown as a precautionary measure.

The facility houses only male prisoners.

Director of Prisons Dale Erskine told Caribbean Net News that three prison officers, one of whom was armed with a gun, were making routine checks when they observed strange movements in the washroom of the operations block of the prisons.

Upon investigating, three armed prisoners pounced on the officers, Erskine reported

According to Erskine, a Prison Service task force rushed to the prison officers’ assistance, and the police, fire department and army were immediately alerted.

The prisoners were quickly shackled and returned to their cells.

Erskine reported that the situation was quickly brought under control, but noted that prison officers are constantly facing the reality that inmates are always planning to escape.
 
The triple-murder accused involved in Tuesday's escape bid went into hiding after reportedly committing the murders of two brothers last month in a village 15 miles east of Georgetown.

He was reportedly found with one of the army’s AK-47s that went missing last February, along with a quantity of other arms and ammunition.

In August, amidst claims of overcrowding, several high-profile inmates climbed to the roof of the prisons to protest against the conditions at the facility .

The government and security officials are in discussions to build a new prison outside of Georgetown.

In 2002, five inmates shot and killed a prision officer, while injuring another as they staged a sucessful getaway.

Their presence on the streets triggered an escalation in gun crimes.

Police have reported that all five escapees have been shot and killed over the last few years, with the lone survivor being killed during a mid-morning robbery in the capital last month.