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By Root 620 0

the safety of his fellow officers and to straighten out what he believed was a simple cellhouse fight. Once again Fish protested, knowing that something had gone seriously awry. But without further consideration, Miller grabbed a gas billy and entered the east end of the cellhouse. As he cautiously starting walking up Broadway, he observed someone who he thought to be an officer walking towards him. But within seconds he had caught a closer glimpse and he recognized that it was actually Bernie Coy, carrying a rifle. Miller quickly attempted to retreat and armed the gas billy. Coy started to run at Miller and managed to fire off two rounds. One of them struck the gas billy, causing it to explode in Miller’s face and he quickly withdrew into the sallyport, half-blinded and with moderate burns. Gate Officer Al Phillips quickly secured the main door while Miller walked back toward the administrative offices, where the Warden had just arrived.

An official affidavit written by Officer Carl Sundstrom, describing the theft of his wallet by Joe Cretzer.

By now, word was coming in that a sniper taking aim from the cellhouse kitchen might have injured a couple of the tower guards. Ed Miller, still in pain from his facial injuries, started to brief Johnston on what had taken place. Then as the sirens wailed again, resonating off nearly every structure of the island, Johnston gave the directive to assemble all of the off-duty officers immediately, as it was now obvious that the inmates intended to blast out of the prison. Johnston and Miller started to plan their strategy, and using a procedural matrix, they initiated calls to the neighboring police departments in San Francisco, Marin, and Oakland, as well as to the FBI, the Coast Guard, the U.S. Marshal, the Justice Department, and the Bureau of Prisons.

Associate Warden E.J. Miller suffered moderate burns to his face after his gas billy exploded during an altercation with one of the conspirators.

Reinforcements were brought in from a variety of agencies and organizations. They included personnel from the Bureau of Prisons, law enforcement agencies, and the US Military.

A correctional officer firmly warns an approaching vessel to maintain its distance.

Johnston pulled out the cellblock diagrams and charted the areas that appeared to be secure and those that were now controlled by the inmates. Then he and Miller began to post officers at critical observation points, and to follow the prescribed protocol for securing the island. All of the resident off-duty officers were speedily armed and assigned to established posts on an anti-escape perimeter around the prison building. The prison launch was searched and then sent out to patrol on a 200-yard-wide security area around the island, with an armed officer onboard. The Control Room officer had been instructed to try to contact all of the off-duty guards who resided on the mainland. The inmates who were working at the dock and outside the normal security area were quickly marched to the prison industries work area at the northwest end of the island, under armed supervision. Specific measures had been taken to secure the inmates at work in the industries within their respective buildings, until more officers were available to facilitate their safe transfer to the recreation yard.

Meanwhile inmates Coy, Hubbard, Cretzer, Thompson, Shockley and Carnes, desperate and without any alternative plans, found themselves in a stalemate. None of them knew exactly what their next step should be, but Coy, Cretzer, and Hubbard made it clear that they didn’t intend to be taken alive. Carnes would later comment that he was surprised at how casually they had talked about the possibility of dying. The trio made a pact that they would not surrender, and would try to stay alive for as long as possible, hoping to the end that some opportunity would arise for them to complete their escape. Coy headed off to cover the main entrance, as he knew that Miller would return with reinforcements to try to infiltrate the cellhouse.

Hubbard remained