Guard remains in hospital after stabbing attack in Calif. prison
04/04/08 20:12:20
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One of four state prison guards stabbed by inmates remained hospitalized Friday with a skull fracture and other wounds after the attack at Tehachapi state prison.
Authorities ordered a statewide lockdown of inmates after Thursday's assault at the California Correctional Institution, about 40 miles south of Bakersfield. It was lifted Friday afternoon..
The sergeant who suffered the skull and stab injuries was in good condition after being released from a hospital's intensive care unit, said Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokeswoman Terry Thornton. She said it was not clear how the sergeant fractured his skull.
The other guards and both inmates were treated for their injuries Thursday and released. One guard injured her knee responding to the stabbings.
The attackers rushed the guards in an office on the maximum security general population yard shortly after 1 p.m. Thursday, Thornton said. Guards stopped the attack with pepper spray, batons and physical force.
The two inmates were taken to isolation cells at Corcoran State Prison while officials investigate, Thornton said.
Perry Robert Avila, 47, is serving a 117-year sentence for attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon in Riverside County, and a 15-year sentence for second-degree murder. Avila is a member of the Mexican Mafia with a record of assaults on law enforcement officers dating to 1988, Thornton said.
The other suspect, Ivan Antonio Manriquez, 36, is serving a 25-year sentence from Orange County for first-degree murder.
Two weapons were found at the scene, but the department would not release details about them.
The California Correctional Institution was built in 1933 to hold women. It has since been expanded to hold about 2,800 male inmates, but currently houses 4,703, Thornton said.
Thursday's stabbing attack was the latest problem in recent years for the Kern County prison.
It was the scene of a race riot in February 2005 that involved 480 black and Hispanic inmates, an incident that left three inmates injured. Two months later, two Tehachapi guards were injured by a prisoner using a homemade weapon, but both recovered.
In 2002, a guard was stabbed several times in the chest by two inmates but recovered from his injuries.