SOLEDAD – On Monday, July 8, at 6:30 p.m., approximately 25 inmates were involved in a riot at Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP) in the Facility C unit dayrooms. The riot was quickly quelled and no staff members were injured.
Responding staff gave participants of the riot multiple orders to stop fighting. When they did not comply, staff deployed non-lethal rounds and pepper spray to end the incident. Four inmates sustained puncture wounds during the riot and were transported to outside hospitals for treatment. Three of those inmates have since returned to the prison and the other remains at the hospital and is in fair condition.
Five inmate-manufactured weapons were recovered and the cause of the riot is being investigated by the Investigative Services Unit at the prison. The Office of the Inspector General was notified.
Movement within Facility C has been limited to facilitate the investigation into the cause of the riot.
SVSP opened May 1996 on approximately 300 acres in Monterey County. The institution provides long-term housing for over 3,200 minimum- and maximum-custody male inmates and employs approximately 1,600 people.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 9, 2019
Contact: (916) 445-4950