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| 18 inmates hurt in Calif. prison riot |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 12/03/2003 |
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A riot and small fire broke out Tuesday night at the private Cornell Correctional Facility and at least 18 inmates were injured, officials said. Prison officials called for help shortly after 8 p.m. and units from the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department, California Highway Patrol and Chino Hills Police Department responded. The riot involved more than 100 inmates, officials said. The prison yard was secured at 10:30 p.m. and prisoners were locked down, said Tracey Martinez, a spokeswoman for the San Bernardino County Fire Department. Five patients were airlifted to hospitals for treatment and 13 others were taken by ambulance, Martinez said. All the injured were prisoners, she said. The majority of the injured suffered stab wounds, she said. There were no immediate reports of injuries to officers at the facility. A small blaze was confined to a container in an officer's shack. The 262-bed facility is run by the privately held Cornell Companies, of Houston, one of the country's largest private prison operators. The Baker prison handles minimum-security male offenders under contract with the California Department of Corrections and is located in a small, rural community. The facility, which opened in 1988, has 52 buildings and was once a housing complex for Pacific Bell employees and their families. Inmates at the minimum security prison have bolstered emergency crews that helped respond to accidents along Interstate 15, the desert highway that is the quickest route to Las Vegas from Southern California. Baker is about 160 miles east-northeast of downtown Los Angeles. |
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