Mule Creek State Prison remains in partial lockdown in the wake of an attack on prison guards last Thursday at the Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, north of Los Angeles. Two Hispanic gang-affiliated inmates rushed three guards and stabbed them, putting them in the hospital, officials said. The mandatory lockdown is part of a statewide operation and a standard procedure to avoid gang repercussions. All state prisons were locked down as a precaution.

As of  yesterday, Mule Creek’s lockdown was still in effect for roughly 1,100 Hispanic inmates, or almost 32 percent of the prison’s population. The Tehachapi victims, two sergeants and an officer, remain stable in the hospital. The two inmates are affiliated with Southern California prison gangs. Certain State prisons will remain locked down until corrections staff can determine whether the stabbing was isolated. Tehachapi prison was built to hold about 2,800 inmates but had about 5,900 as of last year, according to the Department of Corrections Web site. Its custody staff numbers about 1,400. In April 2005, two Tehachapi guards were stabbed by a prisoner using a homemade weapon, but both recovered. State corrections officials said the Tehachapi prison will remain on lockdown indefinitely. (end) am APP contributed to this story.