Riot leads to lockdown at San Quentin prison

SAN QUENTIN, California (CNN) -- A section of San Quentin State Prison that houses some of California's most violent criminals was in lockdown Saturday after about 50 prisoners engaged in a riot that a prison official described as racially motivated.

Two inmates stabbed with handmade weapons were seriously injured in the fight, said San Quentin spokesman Vernell Crittendon. Seven others suffered bruises and scratches. All were treated in the prison medical center.

The fight broke out Thursday evening in the Badger unit of the prison, a reception center for newly arrived inmates serving extended time.

"Our initial information is we had a group of white inmates that identify with skinhead philosophy -- they were yelling racial epithets and slurs and later that night when we let them out for dinner, there was a conflict," Crittendon said.

About 10 black prisoners attacked a small group of white prisoners in the dining room, he said. As other prisoners joined the melee, guards responded with pepper spray and force.

Four homemade weapons made from bedsprings and pieces of cloth were confiscated.

The injuries included a prisoner stabbed in his back and another with a puncture wound behind his knee.

The 350 inmates housed in the Badger section were on lockdown, which means they must remain in their cells except during meals.

Crittendon said the warden is conducting an investigation and may take action as soon as Monday.

"They're going to be on lockdown until the warden feels it's safe, and if it's not safe we will find those individuals who are creating this unsafe environment and remove them," he said.

Badger unit is home to some of San Quentin's most violent prisoners, including those serving extended sentences, inmates with gang affiliations, serial rapists, and those put away under the state's "three-strikes" law.

RELATED SITES: