Riot at Southern California Prison Injures 13 Inmates

Calipatria, Calif. – Thirteen inmates were injured during a riot involving 290 inmates at Calipatria State Prison on Tuesday. The riot started at approximately 10:15 a.m. on Facility A’s general population Level IV yard, a maximum-security area.

Response teams from other areas of the prison converged on the scene quelling the violence in approximately ten minutes. Staff fired warning shots, rounds of pepper spray and foam-tipped rubber rounds. Following the riot, officers recovered several inmate-manufactured stabbing weapons from the immediate area.

Thirteen inmates were injured, seven of which were taken to an area hospital for treatment. Preliminary evaluation revealed the injuries were non-life threatening.

No employees sustained injuries during the riot, but two staff members were treated at an outside hospital for heat related illnesses due to the extreme outside temperature of 108°

Inmate movement is limited as prison officials investigate the cause of the riot.

Calipatria State Prison opened in 1992 and houses approximately 3,800 inmates, 1,700 of whom are serving life and 594 are serving life without the possibility of parole. There are 1,280 employees at the prison.