12 Guards Injured in Attacks by Inmates at Centinela State Prison

Inmates at the Centinela State Prison remained confined to their cells Friday as staff searched for weapons after a spate of attacks on a dozen guards.

The eight inmates involved in Wednesday’s attacks at a maximum security unit of the prison were transferred to the Tehachapi correctional facility on Thursday.

The men, whose criminal histories include murder, robbery, sex offenses and manslaughter, will probably face felony charges for the attacks, prison spokeswoman Deavonne Long said Friday.

Their transfers to Tehachapi were part of a routine policy of moving inmates who have been involved in assaulting prison staff, she said.

Five guards were stabbed and seven others injured in the attacks at two buildings of the prison 20 miles west of El Centro.

In the first attack, an inmate assaulted a guard without warning, Long said. As the prisoners in that building were being locked up, inmates in another building attacked more guards.

“This was completely unexpected. There was no one event that led to this,” Long said.

None of the guards suffered serious injuries. Half were able to return to work the next day; the others were expected to return by Tuesday.

The 4,363 inmates will remain in lock-down status until the search for weapons is completed, she said.