Battle of Alcatraz

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Please help improve this article or section by expanding it.
Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion.
This article has been tagged since January 2007.

The Battle of Alcatraz was an unsuccessful escape attempt at the Alcatraz Island Federal Penitentiary that lasted from May 2-4, 1946. Two guards and three inmates would be killed in the incident, with another 14 guards and one inmate injured.

1 The Takeover
2 Occupation
3 Response
4 End
5 Aftermath
6 Sources

[edit] The Takeover

Bernard Coy, a bank robber serving a twenty-six year sentence at Alcatraz, saw a possible weakness in the bars protecting the West gun gallery. At about 2:00 PM on May 2nd (after a period of dieting), Coy removed his clothes, smeared grease over his body and climbed the bars below the weapons cache. Using a device he had made to spread the bars, he was able to squeeze himself through and overpower the guard on duty. He then lowered numerous weapons to his accomplices below. The armed convicts then captured nine guards and locked them into a cell. The inmates were unable to gain the key that would allow them to exit to the outside, which was evidently hidden by a guard

[edit] Occupation

Coy and an accomplice, Joseph Cretzer had let three other men out of their cells. After they failed to obtain the necessary key from the guards, and feeling that getting off the island was now impossible, Cretzer began shooting the guards in the cells.

[edit] Response

The distress siren had been sounded at the prison, and Marines and the Coast Guard responded to assist in the crisis. Guards began firing at the inmates, and an assault team attempted to retake the prison. One of the team was likely mortally wounded by friendly fire. Marines also began firing grenades into cell block D. Robert Stroud the "Birdman of Alcatraz" had a heroic role in going through the gunfire to close steel cell doors to protect inmates.