Inmate Wounded in Escape Attempt

Guards shot and wounded one San Quentin prisoner Friday as he and three other inmates unsuccessfully tried to escape by jumping over a wall, officials said.

The men were on their way to the industrial part of the prison, where they work making office furniture, said John Reid, an administrative assistant to the warden.

They tried to scale a 20-foot wall with a grappling hook and rope, Reid said. Two men made it over, but were apprehended immediately. Another was shot twice in the left thigh and was reported later in serious condition at an outside hospital.

The men, aged 20, 28 and 39, were serving life sentences, Reid said.