Prison guard in California stabbed by inmate. CDCR investigates attempted murder

A California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation prison guard in Northern California was attacked by an inmate on his way to his cell on Saturday after he was stabbed multiple times, including in the head, authorities said.

The incident – which is being investigated as attempted murder – began after 33-year-old Devanae Price partially freed himself from his handcuffs and punched a peace officer in the face at Pelican Bay State Prison, CDCR officials said in a news release.

“Staff responded immediately and Price ignored the request to lie down,” the press release continues. “Price continued to strike the officer in the head and upper body.”

Price was stopped after guards used “physical force” and found an inmate-made weapon on the 33-year-old, the press release said.

The prison guard had two stab wounds in his vest, swelling on his head and other minor injuries. The police officer was taken to a hospital and released the same day.

Price was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after being convicted of first-degree murder and possession of a firearm as a felon. Those charges were aggravated by allegations that he had a previous conviction for an “aggravated misdemeanor” and intentionally discharged a firearm causing great bodily injury or death, the news release said.

This case comes from Stanislaus County, where Price was sentenced to 60 years to life in prison for shooting a single father at a Ceres apartment complex, according to the Turlock Journal. The Stanislaus County District Attorney’s Office said Price mistakenly believed the victim, Falane Jones, was someone else, according to the Turlock Journal.

Price was sentenced to four years and four months in prison in July 2022 in Del Norte County for crimes he committed while incarcerated: assault on a non-prisoner and resisting or deterring an officer by threats or violence. In September 2023, he was also sentenced to four years in prison in Marin County for possessing or manufacturing a deadly weapon while incarcerated, the press release said.