BLYTHE, Calif. – About 200 inmates pummeled correctional officers with fists and rocks at a Southern California prison, sending eight staff members and one inmate to the hospital, according to reports.
The violence erupted on the recreational yard around 10 a.m. Wednesday as officers were escorting an inmate across the grounds as part of a contraband investigation at Ironwood State Prison in Blythe, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
CDCR confirmed that eight correctional officers sustained unspecified injuries requiring treatment at a hospital. One inmate also received treatment at the medical facility before being returned to the prison, KCRA reported.
While an inmate was being escorted by prison staff members as part of a contraband investigation, he “headbutted” a correctional officer. As the prisoner was being subdued, “approximately 200 incarcerated people, on the yard, rushed toward the officers, attacking them with fists and rocks,” CDCR said.
After discharging a warning round with a rifle, correctional officers used “chemical agents and non-lethal impact rounds” to restore order, according to Fox News Digital.
Prison officials did not immediately provide the extent of the officers injuries.
Although the investigation remains ongoing, officials initially identified 30 inmates who were directly involved in the riot, reported KCRA.
Ironwood is a minimum-medium security facility in the desert near the California-Arizona border. It first opened in 1994 and houses about 2,500 male inmates.
