40 involved in riot at Sacramento County prison that sent 5 inmates to hospitals

A prison riot Wednesday involving dozens at California State Prison, Sacramento, left five inmates hospitalized in a mass casualty incident, authorities said.

The outburst involved as many as 40 inmates, some of whom used improvised weapons, which left six people wounded with puncture wounds and blunt force trauma, according to the Folsom Fire Department.

Prison guards used chemical agents and nonlethal weapons to subdue the riot that broke out about 10 a.m., fire and state corrections officials said. Five inmates were taken to UC Medical Center and Mercy San Juan Medical Center, said Battalion Chief Nick Lawlor, a spokesperson for the Fire Department.

The injuries ranged from critical to moderate, Lawlor said. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in a later statement the injuries are non-life threatening.

No staff members were injured. All inmates involved in the riot were placed in restricted housing after investigators recovered 11 improvised weapons, the CDCR statement said.

“The safety and security of staff, incarcerated individuals, and the institution remain our highest priority,” the statement said.

Twenty-two firefighters went to the prison to treat patients, Lawlor said.

Wednesday’s riot comes as investigators have launched two homicide investigations at the prison, often called New Folsom to distinguish it from nearby Folsom State Prison, so far this year — one homicide in January and another in February.

This story was originally published March 5, 2025 at 1:39 PM.