19-year-old inmate is stabbed in prison fight

The Utah State Prison's Oquirrh facility was locked down Saturday afternoon after an inmate was stabbed multiple times in the chest and leg by another inmate.

Utah Department of Corrections spokeswoman Angie Welling said the injured inmate is 19 years old and in prison for three felony counts of aggravated robbery and assaulting another prisoner. Welling would not release the name of the injured inmate, who was flown to the hospital in critical condition.

The fight at the prison started at about 3:25 p.m. between several inmates who had just witnessed an "altercation" between two men in a common area of the Oquirrh facility known for housing gang members. Welling said no one was injured in the first incident.

Welling was unable to say exactly what the altercation had to do with the fight immediately afterward between two inmates in a nearby area of the building where medium- to high-risk inmates are held. The 19-year-old inmate was stabbed during the fight.

Welling said the altercation and fight are under investigation. The same facility was locked down last August after an inmate was stabbed. Welling said the building will likely remain on lockdown through the weekend as the investigation continues.

— Stephen Speckman