6 inmates injured in riot at San Diego prison; 2 seriously hurt, officials say

Six inmates were injured -- two seriously -- during a prison riot Friday night at a San Diego prison, officials said.

The disturbance began at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility shortly after 8 p.m., The San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

Cal Fire San Diego spokesman Capt. Thomas Shoots said approximately 100 prisoners were in the prison yard when the riot broke out, the newspaper reported. It was not clear how many inmates were involved in the riot, the Union-Tribune reported.

.@CALFIRESANDIEGO is at scene of Donovan Prison for an event involving multiple patients. Significant augmentation of resources. #DonovanIC
— CAL FIRE/SAN DIEGO COUNTY FIRE (@CALFIRESANDIEGO) August 24, 2019

Officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said a fight involving several inmates on the recreation yard escalated into a riot, KNSD reported. According to KSWB, staff members ordered the inmates to stop fighting. When the fighting continued, "officers used several rounds of less than lethal use of force to quell the disturbance."

Two of the inmates were seriously injured and airlifted to area hospitals, Shoots told the Union-Tribune.

#DonovanIC [update] Six patients are being evaluated; two of those with serious injuries.
— CAL FIRE/SAN DIEGO COUNTY FIRE (@CALFIRESANDIEGO) August 24, 2019