Crime & Courts

Attempted prison escape thwarted at U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth

Two inmates attempted to escape at Fort Leavenworth’s U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in late April, an Army spokesman confirmed Thursday. Corrections specialists prevented the April 29 escape. The inmates were injured in the escape attempt, treated, and returned to custody.
Two inmates attempted to escape at Fort Leavenworth’s U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in late April, an Army spokesman confirmed Thursday. Corrections specialists prevented the April 29 escape. The inmates were injured in the escape attempt, treated, and returned to custody. U.S. Disciplinary Barracks Battalion Facebook Page

A photo circulating on social media shows an inmate left dangling, tangled in razor wire atop a fence as he recently tried to escape from U.S. Disciplinary Barracks on Fort Leavenworth as two correctional specialists try to assist while apprehending him.

An Army spokesman on Thursday confirmed that two inmates tried to escape late last month.

“Correctional specialists at the Fort Leavenworth Army Corrections Brigade prevented an escape attempt on April 29, 2025,” said Lt. Col. Bryen Freigo, a U.S. Army Combined Arms Center spokesman at Fort Leavenworth. “Two inmates sustained injuries during the incident, were treated, and returned to custody.”

Task & Purpose, a news site for the military community, published a story on the attempted prison break earlier this week.

Public safety was maintained throughout the incident, Friego said. The attempted escape remains under investigation.

Regarding the online photo, Friego said the person shown was misidentified by other media.

“As a matter of policy, we do not release inmate information,” Friego said. “Further details are unavailable due to the ongoing investigation.”

The Army Corrections Brigade teams up with local and federal law enforcement agencies for yearly escape drills to maintain readiness, assess and validate security procedures and improve cooperation between agencies, Friego said.

This story was originally published May 9, 2025 at 7:16 AM with the headline "Attempted prison escape thwarted at U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth."

Robert A. Cronkleton
The Kansas City Star
Robert A. Cronkleton is a breaking news reporter for The Kansas City Star, covering crime, courts, transportation, weather and climate. He’s been at The Star for 36 years. His skills include multimedia and data reporting and video and audio editing. Support my work with a digital subscription
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