Inmate Crashes Van During Attempted Jailbreak

BAKERSFIELD (AP) — The California Highway Patrol says an inmate crashed a van into a gate during an escape attempt at a Southern California jail.

CHP Officer Robert Rodriguez says seven inmates were in the van when one of them managed to get into the driver's seat early Wednesday at the Lerdo Pre-Trial Facility outside Bakersfield.

The inmate drove the van into a parked vehicle before slamming into the main gate. Rodriguez says the inmate was recaptured.

Rodriguez says everyone in the van is being evaluated by medical personnel.

He says the Kern County Sheriff's Department, which runs the jail, will investigate how the inmate took over the van.

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