More than 120 inmates were locked in a dormitory wing of the Mercer County Corrections Center Monday after as many as 20 of them refused to leave the area.

County officials say the inmates refused to leave in protest of two prisoners? removal. According to county officials, the two removed inmates had been part of a group of six that attacked another inmate Sunday night.

Authorities say the inmates eventually stopped protesting after they learned how they would be treated when they left the facility. The inmates will now be transferred to state facilities. However, county officials say each of the inmates must be strip-searched and their cell must be searched before leaving the jail. County officials expect the process to take all night.

According to the county, more than half of the inmates are members of the Bloods gang. However, they say the incident was not gang-related.