Three inmates hospitalized after brawl at Otay Mesa-area state prison

OTAY MESA (KUSI) – A fight between two inmates quickly escalated to a riot Thursday at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility and sent three prisoners to the hospital.

According to Lt. Philip Bracamonte, a spokesman for the penitentiary, the fight started in the workout yard around 11:30 a.m. and eventually involved about 135 people.

Corrections officers fired four non-lethal foam rounds at the clashing group of men and discharged three warning shots from a rifle into the air to break up the fracas.

Some inmates were treated on site by staff medics for minor injuries, and three others were sent to an outside trauma center for further care, Bracamonte said. The conditions of the latter patients were not released.

No penitentiary employees were injured.

The riot was being investigated by the prison’s Investigative Services Unit. The state Office of the Inspector General also was notified, and a team from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation also will review the melee, according to Bracamonte.

All inmates suspected of having been involved in the fight were placed in an administrative segregation unit, the lieutenant said.