According to the Ecuadorian Police, the violence might have started as a consequence of the release of the leader of the gang Los Tiguerones after serving a part of his sentence for stealing car parts.
Reports say signs of a riot were incoming as inmates had heard chatter the day before that pavilion 2 would be the target.
[1] The attack was launched at 7pm local time on 13 November 2021, when prisoners from pavilions 3, 6 and 12 (all controlled by the gang Los Choneros), tried to enter pavilion 2 of the prison, where 700 inmates were kept, by blowing holes in the walls with dynamite.
[2] The prisoners used machetes, guns, and explosives devices to kill their victims, multiple fires were also set.
[citation needed] Among those killed was a trans woman who was housed in the men's jail and Víctor Guaillas, a human rights activist who was imprisoned since 2019 after participating in protests against president Lenín Moreno.