A riot broke out on Wednesday at California State Prison-Sacramento (CSP-SAC), also known as "New Folsom Prison" because of its proximity to the famous Folsom State Prison. The riot involved at least 60 inmates and its cause is under investigation, according to prison officials.
The riot, which occurred just after 11:15 a.m. ended with one inmate being shot by prison guards and taken to the hospital. Twelve other inmates were hospitalized with stab and slash wounds and head injuries.
Four of the twelve were treated and released back to prison and the remaining inmates conditions are not currently known, according to Terry Thornton, a spokesperson for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Other inmates who were involved in the melee and received minor injuries were treated at the prison.
Prison officers who were trying to stop the riot fired first non-lethal weapons including blast dispersion rounds. Six rounds were eventually shot from an Mini-14 rifle at inmates who were involved. During the scuffle, four homemade weapons were recovered from prisoners. No officers or prison staff were harmed during the incident.
According to a statement on the prison Web site, a deadly force investigation team from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is conducting a criminal and administrative investigation of the riot and a deadly force review board is investigating how officers handled the situation.
Officials at the prison say the Office of the Inspector General's Bureau of Independent Review was notified and will provide real-time oversight of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's investigation of its staff.
This is the 2nd major riot at CSP-SAC within the past year. In December there was a large riot involving 150 inmates. Eleven of them were hospitalized, including one man who was shot by a prison officer. Another officer was injured during that riot.
CSP-SAC, which opened in 1986, currently houses 2,658 inmates. The prison primarily houses maximum-security inmates serving long sentences and inmates who have been deemed management problems at other prisons in the state.