California Pens :: San Quentin State Prison (SQSP)
March 22 – A Contraband Watch Officer discovered 15 wrapped bindles secreted from an inmate. The evidence was processed through an x-ray machine. One item looked to be a razor blade and the remaining bindles contained controlled substances.
March 18 – A Tier Officer was escorting an inmate from the shower back to his cell and ordered the inmate to give him his bucket to which the inmate refused. As they reached a solely occupied cell, the inmate pulled away from the escort and pulled a blue pouch from the bucket and forced it through the food port, which was open due to the inmate using the Tier phone. The inmate was ordered to get down but refused. Pepper spray was used to get the inmate to comply but the inmate continued to refuse orders. A responding officer struck the inmate with his baton but the inmate still continued to refuse to get down. The officer continued to use his baton with negative results. Another officer used physical force to bring the inmate to the ground. The inmate continued to struggle until another officer applied leg restraints. The blue pouch was recovered and it contained one cell phone and one phone charger.
March 16 – During a cell extraction, officers used physical strength aided by a shield to bring the inmate to the ground. The inmate began making a thrusting motion as an officer observed an inmate-manufactured weapon in the inmate’s hand. Physical force and pepper spray was used to stop the inmate’s attack. The inmate was placed in handcuffs and leg restraints.
March 15 – Upon completing the administration of an injection on an inmate, the inmate without provocation kicked the LPT on her thigh.
March 6 – An inmate set off the dire sprinkler in his cell and subsequently refused a direct order to submit to an unclothed body search. An officer utilized pepper spray with negative results. The officer again ordered the inmate to be placed into handcuffs and the inmate continued to refuse. The officer then used another burst of pepper spray with positive results. The inmate refused a decontamination shower and was escorted to TTA. Once cleared, the inmate was escorted back to the yard shower and offered a second time to decontaminate to which he accepted.
March 3 – A Badger Gun Officer observed an inmate approach another inmate hitting him in the face. The officer blew his whistle to alert staff. The officer then ordered the inmates to stop and get down with negative results. The Gun Officer then fired one direct impact round striking the inmate in the knee. The inmates then got into a prone position. Responding staff arrived and placed both inmates in restraints before escorting them off the yard.
March 2 – An officer observed two inmates attacking another inmate. The officer ordered the inmates to get down with negative results. The officer utilized pepper spray to stop the inmates’ attack.
Also on March 2 – During an escort an inmate attempted to pull away from the officer. Verbal orders to stop were given with positive results. The escort continued and as the officer was removing the handcuffs the inmate spun around pulling the officer’s hand into the food port. The officer immediately attempted to pull her hand out, but her fingers were caught between the handcuffs and food port. The officer was able to free her hand on a second attempt. The officer sustained pain to her fingers.
February 9 – A riot broke out on an exercise yard involving approximately 200 inmates with weapons. The yard gunman utilized two Riot Smoke Grenades and seven Direct Impact Rounds with negative results. The gunman noticed that several Northern Hispanic inmates were kicking white inmates in the head, who were lying on the ground not moving. The yard gunman shouted verbal commands to stop and get down with negative results. The gunman fired an additional warning shot from his Mini 14, which had the desired effect. Numerous inmates were stabbed and four were taken to an outside hospital for treatment.
February 4 – On a yard, an inmate began striking another inmate. An officer observed one of the inmates holding an inmate-manufactured weapon. Verbal orders were given to stop fighting and get down in a prone position with negative results. Staff fired one 40mm round striking the attacker in the legs. The inmate continued to not comply with staff orders, so a second round was fired striking the inmate in the legs. The inmate complied with orders to get down on the ground. The inmate then refused to exit the yard. Staff utilized a third round and the inmate complied with staff.
January 26 – An Ad Seg inmate gassed an officer with an unknown liquid substance.
January 30 – An officer was completing a security check of the second tier when he noticed an inmate in a cell other than his own. The officer ordered the inmate to step out of the cell and conducted a clothed body search. During the search the officer discovered three tablets of morphine.
January 27 – During an escort an inmate grabbed a handrail and demanded to see the sergeant. The escorting officers attempted to calm the inmate with negative results. The inmate used his leg, which was in a cast, to kick one of the escorting officers. The other officer activated his personal alarm as the inmate continued to resist and attempted to strike the officer in the head. Physical force was used to stop the inmate. A responding officer placed the inmate in leg restraints and spit mask. One of the officers sustained an abrasion and reddening to the right knee, a bruise and burn on the left knee and redness to both elbows.
January 26 – An inmate covered his cell windows and refused to exit his cell. An extraction team was assembled and the inmate was given orders to submit to handcuffs with negative results. Pepper spray was used to gain compliance but the inmate continued to refuse orders. The inmate then used a weapon through the food port, cutting the sergeant on the top of his finger. The inmate then complied with orders to exit his cell. The inmate refused a decontamination shower and then became resistive. Staff then applied a spit mask and stokes litter on the inmate.
January 25 – During an escort an inmate committed Battery on a Peace Officer which required physical force to gain compliance of the inmate. The sergeant sustained a bruise on his shin area with notable pain.
January 21 – Two Reception Center inmates were fighting during the release for the evening meal. An officer gave orders to stop with negative results. The officer used a baton but the inmates continued to fight. Additional verbal orders were ignored so the officer utilized the baton a second time. As a result the inmates stopped fighting. Responding staff applied mechanical restraints on the inmates and escorted them for evaluation and clearance.
January 16 – An officer discovered one suspected marijuana cigarette inside an inmate’s sock.
January 10 – An officer observed an inmate talking on a cell phone. The officer gave the inmate an order to hand over the phone which the inmate refused. The inmate began to struggle with the officer. Another officer who observed the incident activated his personal alarm and responded by placing the inmate in handcuffs.
January 7 – An officer was conducting a clothed body search when the inmate turned around, began yelling and then slapped the officer’s hand. The officer attempted to bring the inmate to a prone position. Responding staff ordered the inmate to get down, with negative results. Staff used a baton to gain compliance.
December 12 – An inmate in a holding cell spit on an officer. The spittle struck the officer on the head.
August 29 – Two inmates were observed striking another inmate on a yard. All three inmates were assigned to Ad Seg and rehoused accordingly.
January 31 – An inmate was placed on contraband watch, due to the handheld metal detector alerting staff that there was something metallic in and/or around his buttocks. The inmate eventually produced a weapon approximately 6 inches in length.
JULY 27 - Two Level IV inmates began fighting on a tier. One of them used a weapon, approximately 7 inches by 1.5 inches, in an attempt to kill the other inmate. Pepper spray and batons were used to stop the attack.
June 28 - Officer were monitoring the evening meal when an inmate approached the food port and started yelling and complaining about the food. An officer pulled the tray from the food port and instructed the inmate to take the next tray. The inmate refused to accept the tray, so the officer ordered the inmate to take a seat; the inmate would not comply. The officer then ordered the inmate to turn around and cuff up. The inmate turned toward the officer assuming a bladed stance with clinched fists. Another officer observed the inmate's action, and drew his pepper spray, spraying the inmate. The officer then gave verbal orders to get down with negative results. The officer then grabbed the inmate and used his bodyweight to force the inmate to the ground. After the inmate was escorted out of the dining hall, another inmate began yelling profanities in an attempt to incite other inmates. An officer ordered the inmate to stop yelling. The inmate yelled more profanities and picked up a jar containing pepper juice off the floor, throwing it in the face of the officer. Pepper spray was utilized to stop the inmate's actions, with negative results. The inmate continued his resistive behavior, tossing his upper torso around and kicking at staff who were trying to restrain him. An officer utilized his baton striking the inmate in the leg. Responding staff where able to restrain the inmate placing him in leg irons, but he continued to resist. The officer utilized his baton a second time resulting in the inmate's compliance. The officer was decontaminated and returned to work.
May 14 - In Dorm 4, an inmate charged an officer from behind striking the officer in the back of the head. The officer activated their alarm and used pepper spray to stop the attack.
May 5 - A female officer was passing an inmate in his assigned cell when he made a derogatory comment to her and then spit in her face. The spittle made contact with her eye. The officer was offered post trauma and sent home.
April 16 - An inter-racial riot broke out between Hispanic and black inmates in a dining hall during the breakfast meal that was filled with approximately 450 inmates. Staff utilized pepper spray, 40 mm launcher and physical force to quell the incident. No significant injuries were reported among the inmate population. One correctional officer received a serious injury to his hand as a result of an OC blast grenade "exploding" in his hand. The officer was transported to an outside hospital for medical evaluation and treatment. Another officer was decontaminated for pepper spray exposure to his face. All identified participating inmates were placed in Ad Seg or temporarily placed in their assigned cells on Ad Seg status due to the limited number of Ad Seg cells. Staff discovered one inmate manufactured slashing weapon consisting of two razor blades tightly fashioned together with plastic and tightly secured with string and four razor blades on an inmate. Also two bindles of Northern Structure hand written notes were confiscated.
April 8 - While medication was being distributed, two Donner Section black inmates and a Northern Hispanic inmate were involved in another fight. Staff utilized pepper spray to quell the incident.
April 7 - A Donner Section black inmate and another inmate were involved in a fight. Staff used pepper spray to stop the incident.
April 4 - Four Donner Section Northern Hispanic inmates attacked three black inmates on the fourth tier of the housing unit. Staff utilized pepper spray to quell the attack. One inmate needed seven sutures to the lip as a result of the attack.
April 3 - During third watch, four Donner Section Northern Hispanic inmates attacked another inmate in a dining hall. Staff used a 40mm grenade launcher to stop the attack. One of the officers sustained a possible broken hand.
February 4 - While an inmate was being escorted down the tier; the inmate spit on an officer and kicked another. Both officers wrestled the inmate to the ground. One of the officers sustained a broken wrist.
