CALIPATRIA, Calif. (AP) — Officials at Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County are investigating an outbreak of violence involving at least 115 inmates that sent nine to the hospital.
The prison said in a statement Tuesday that the melee broke out in a maximum security yard Saturday when an inmate began stabbing five others.
The five fought back and were joined by many more, and a second brawl broke out in a nearby cafeteria.
Guards fired a warning shot and used pepper spray and foam-tipped bullets to stop the disturbance. No staffers were hurt.
The inmates' injuries ranged from moderate to serious, but prison officials did not say how they were injured or how many remained hospitalized Tuesday, and a phone message was not immediately returned.
Calipatria houses 3,500 men, most serving life sentences.
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