Inmates Riot At Maximum Security Prison In Soledad

SOLEDAD, Monterey County (CBS SF) -- A riot involving 90 inmates at a maximum-security prison in Soledad Thursday morning sent two inmates to the hospital and injured others, a state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman said.

The riot happened shortly before 10 a.m., when several inmates started fighting in a yard at Salinas Valley State Prison, CDCR spokeswoman Dana Simas said.

The all-male prison currently houses 3,691 inmates, Simas said.

Correctional officers had to use pepper spray and other less-than-lethal weapons to stop the scuffle, she said.

The officers found inmate-manufactured weapons left in the yard once the inmates were cleared from the site, Simas said.

Two inmates suffered slash wounds and were taken to a hospital, according to Simas.

As of late Thursday afternoon, one of the two wounded inmates has returned to the prison, but the other was still being treated, she said.

Other injured inmates were treated at a facility in the prison, Simas said.

The riot took place in a level-four security yard reserved for inmates who have committed serious and violent offenses such as murder or armed robbery, she said.

Yard time has been taken away from the prisoners for the time being due to the melee, Simas said.

Inmate movement at the facility has been limited to necessary activities such as medical appointments or going to work at the institution, she said.

The cause of the riot is under investigation.