Attempted homicide of a correctional officer at Corcoran State Prison under investigation

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is investigating the attempted murder of a correctional officer at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran.

According to CDCR officials, around noon on Sunday inmate Jubenal Mendoza distracted staff while inmate Edwin Perez stabbed an officer several times with an improvised weapon.

Officers stopped the attack by using less-than-lethal weapons, physical force, and batons.

Perez, 31 and Mendoza, 27, were both placed in restraints and moved to a different location.

The officer who was attacked was taken to the hospital with stab wounds to his temple and neck, as well as to the front and back of his head. Prison officials say he has been released from the hospital and was recovering at home on Monday.

CDCR officials say that inmate movement at the prison has been restricted to facilitate an investigation into the attack.

Perez was received from Los Angeles County to serve 55 years to life with the possibility of parole for carjacking with the use of a firearm and second-degree murder.

Mendoza was received from Madera County to serve seven years for two counts of second-degree robbery and possession/manufacture of a deadly weapon by a prisoner, an offense committed while he was in the Madera County Department of Corrections.

The Kings County prison opened in 1997 and specializes in substance abuse treatment. It houses more than 5,600 inmates and employs more than 2,000 people.