By Ishani Desai
The Sacramento Bee
CRESCENT CITY, Calif. — A California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation prison guard in Northern California was stabbed multiple times, including in his head, after an inmate attacked him Saturday while being escorted to his cell, authorities said.
The incident — under investigation as an attempted homicide — began after Devanae Price, 33, partially freed himself from his handcuffs and struck a peace officer in the face at the Pelican Bay State Prison, CDCR officials said in a news release.
“Staff immediately responded and Price ignored orders to get down,” the release continued. “Price continued to strike the officer in the head and torso.”
Price was stopped after guards used “physical force,” finding the 33-year-old with an inmate-manufactured weapon, the release said.
The prison guard had two puncture wounds in his vest, swelling in his head and other minor injuries. The peace officer was taken to a hospital and released that day.
Price was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole after he was convicted of second-degree murder and having a firearm as a felon. Those charges were enhanced by allegations he had a prior felony conviction “of a serious offense” and intentionally discharging a firearm causing great bodily injury or death, the release said.
This case stems out of Stanislaus County where Price was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison for the shooting death a single father at an apartment complex in Ceres , according to The Modesto Bee . Price mistakenly thought the victim, Falane Jones, was someone else, according to Jones’ mother who spoke at the sentencing hearing.
Price had previously been convicted of armed robbery in Contra Costa County and had just been released 35 days before he gunned down Jones.
Price had also been sentenced to prison from Del Norte County on July 2022 to four years and four months for crimes he committed while incarcerated: battery of a non-prisoner and resisting or deterring an officer with threats or violence. He was also sentenced in September 2023 in Marin County to four years for possessing or manufacturing a deadly weapon as an incarcerated person, the news release said.
In the video below, Gordon Graham discusses the importance of safety checks in corrections.
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