CHAOS

Eight Guards, Seven Inmates Injured in California Prison Brawl

Guards opened fire on inmates after pepper spray and batons didn't help.

A brawl at a maximum-security prison in Northern California on Wednesday left eight corrections officers and seven inmates injured. The guards opened fire on inmates after failing to stop the fight by other means, with five inmates suffering gunshot wounds, authorities said late Wednesday. The chaos at Pelican Bay State Prison erupted at about 10:30 a.m., when two inmates got into a fight. Two officers attempted to stop the melee using batons and pepper spray, but other inmates soon swarmed the area and joined in. At that point, authorities said, the officers “used lethal force.” In addition to the injuries resulting from the fight, 97 inmates were transferred to a segregation unit as a precaution while investigators work at the scene.