Up To 200 Inmates Involved In San Quentin Prison Melee
SAN QUENTIN (CBS SF) - Four San Quentin State Prison inmates injured in a melee Thursday morning are being treated for non-life threatening injuries at an outside hospital Thursday afternoon, a prison spokesman said.
Between 150 and 200 inmates were involved in the large-scale riot involving weapons at the Badger Section Reception Center's exercise yard around 11:30 a.m., Sgt. Gabe Walters said.
Prison staff used chemical agents, non-lethal and lethal force to quell the incident, Walters said.
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Inmates that suffered more severe injuries were taken to local hospitals by ambulances and state vehicles, Walters said.
Several inmates were slashed and or stabbed multiple times during the incident and the conditions of the four inmates still being treated for non-life-threatening injuries is unknown, Walters said.
No prison staff were injured and the prison is on a modified program pending further investigation of the incident, Walters said.
The prison was not locked down but inmates were returned to their housing units until an appropriate level of program safety and movement is determined, Walters said.
The prison currently houses 4,113 inmates, including those on Death Row, and employs nearly 1,700 people.
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