DELANO – Two correctional officers are recovering from injuries sustained during an attack by inmates Saturday at Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP).
Authorities said that on Saturday at about 3:40 p.m., about 12 inmates began punching and kicking two correctional officers in the dayroom of a dorm at KVSP’s Minimum-Support Facility.
Officials said that staff ordered all inmates to get down, and non-involved inmates complied, while the attackers continued to strike the officers.
Additional officers arrived and used physical force, but were unable to stop the attack, officials said.
Pepper spray was then deployed to stop the attack and separate the inmates from the officers, officials said.
Both officers were taken to an outside hospital for medical treatment.
One officer sustained bruising and swelling to his head and face, injuries to his hands and knees, broken vertebrae in his back, a broken nose and a concussion, officials said.
The second officer sustained injuries to his knees, hand, and face.
Both officers were released from the hospital Saturday evening. The officer who suffered broken vertebrae in his back will be unable to work for an extended period of time. The other officer should return to work in a few days.
Six inmates were treated at KVSP for bruises and small cuts. KVSP’s Investigative.
Officials said that the Services Unit is working to identify all of the assailants.
Identified participants will be rehoused in KVSP’s Administrative Segregation Unit during the investigation.
Inmate movement in KVSP’s Minimum-Support Facility is limited as officials investigate the attack.
KVSP opened in 2005 and houses 3,946 minimum-, medium-, maximum- and high-security custody inmates. KVSP offers academic classes and vocational programs and employs approximately 1,800 people.
