The Eureka Times-Standard
EUREKA, Calif. — Three correctional officers were sent to the hospital after a pair of inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison attacked them on Tuesday.
The officers, whose names are not being released, are 37, 43 and 45 years old and were treated at a local hospital for lacerations and puncture wounds, according to a press release. All three of the officers were released from the hospital on Tuesday.
The attack occurred shortly after 9 a.m., according to the release, when two inmates attacked the officers in the exercise yard with handmade weapons. Staff in the area responded to the attack using physical force and batons and recovered a pair of weapons.
At least two inmates have been identified as suspects, but neither of their names are being released.
One inmate, 20, was convicted of first-degree murder in Los Angeles County and is serving a 50-year sentence. He has been in prison since October 2009.
The second inmate, 36, is serving 60 years for carjacking and making terrorist threats. He also was convicted in Los Angeles County and has been in prison since February 1997.
The investigation into the incident remains ongoing and is being conducted by the Investigative Services Unit at Pelican Bay and agents from the Office of the Inspector General’s Bureau of Independent Review. An investigator from the Del Norte County District Attorney’s Office is also participating in the investigation.
Pelican Bay prison, which houses some 3,200 inmates and employs 1,500 people, remains on lockdown during the investigation, and it is unknown whether visiting hours will be canceled this weekend.
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