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Riot at Calif. prison hospitalizes 6; at least 2 seriously injured

Roughly 100 prisoners were in the yard at the time of the riot

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By Alex Riggins
The San Diego Union-Tribune

SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — A prison riot Friday night at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility east of Otay Mesa sent six inmates to hospitals, including at least two with serious injuries, authorities said.

The riot was reported a little after 8 p.m. at the state prison on Alta Road, according to Cal Fire San Diego spokesman Capt. Thomas Shoots.

Roughly 100 prisoners were in the yard at the time of the riot, and medics were called out to treat six patients, according to Shoots and a series of tweets from Cal Fire officials. It was not immediately clear how many inmates were involved in the riot.

Among the six patients were two inmates who suffered injuries serious enough that a Cal Fire incident commander requested air ambulances to transport them to hospitals, Shoots said.

In total, Cal Fire sent eight ambulances, the two medical helicopters and five medic engines to the scene in case more inmates turned up injured, Shoots said around 9:20 p.m.

Around 11 p.m., the agency tweeted that “prison officials have confirmed that there are no further patients.” An earlier tweet from the agency said all six patients had been taken to hospitals.

A spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in an email they did not immediately have any details about the riot.

In April, three inmates were seriously injured at the facility when seven prisoners ganged up on one in the maximum-security Facility C yard, state prison officials said.

In February, a riot involving at least 50 inmates left about 10 of them injured, one seriously, on the medium-security Facility A yard, according to officials.

And in December 2018, two inmates were stabbed before prison guards used pepper spray to break up a riot on the Facility C yard.

It was not immediately clear in which facility yard Friday night’s riot occurred.

©2019 The San Diego Union-Tribune

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