By Jessica Johnson
The Fresno Bee
AVENAL, Calif. — Avenal State Prision experienced what officials are calling a “large scale incident” that injured several inmates Saturday morning.
At around 9:12 a.m., inmates at two of the prison’s general population facilities took part of the large disturbance, said Vicky Waters, the press secretary for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
She said officers responded immediately by using less than lethal force to end the disturbance.
The involved inmates received numerous injuries, she said, adding that some injuries were possibly caused by inmate-manufactured weapons.
Emergency medical services were on site to evaluate eight inmates and three inmates were flown by a helicopter to local hospitals for their injuries.
Waters says the prison, which houses about 4,300 inmates, is on a “modified program” due to the incident and an ongoing investigation.
The prison is about 68 miles south of Fresno. No staff injuries have been reported, Waters said.