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4 Inmates Hurt In San Quentin Prison Riot

SAN QUENTIN (CBS SF) -- Four inmates were hospitalized after a riot at San Quentin State Prison that involved nearly 200 prisoners, according to authorities.

Prison Lt. Samuel Robinson said that the four wounded inmates had stab or slash wounds after the melee broke out among 184 men of various ethnicities in the prison's dining hall around 6:50 p.m on Sunday.

The four injured were taken to hospitals outside the prison. Three returned to San Quentin on Sunday night and the fourth was held overnight. A number of other
inmates suffered much less serious injuries, he said.

Dozens of correctional officers stopped the brawl using non-lethal bullets and pepper spray, and found at least 10 weapons made by inmates in the aftermath. No correctional officers were hurt.

The cause of the melee, which lasted a few minutes, was unknown, Robinson said.

"We don't have a handle on it yet," he said. "We have an idea who started the fight."

San Quentin is the state's oldest prison and houses nearly 5,000 men, including those on death row.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services may have contributed to this report.)

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