CLARK COUNTY (KTNV) — Two inmates are currently undergoing medical treatment after a stabbing took place at High Desert State Prison on Wednesday, the Nevada Department of Corrections (NDOC) said.
A source who works closely with the state prison system tells Channel 13, this stabbing was gang related.
This source claims it involved members of the Surenos.
According to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Surenos, also known as Sur 13, is a criminal street gang that originated in Southern California.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the Surenos has hundreds cliques around the United States. The Surenos and affiliates pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia with the number "13" signifying the letter "M".
According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Gang Intelligence Center's 2011 National Gang Threat Assessment, the Surenos were expanding faster than any other national-level gang in the country at that point.
The source tells Channel 13, two Surenos were able to escape from their waist restraints, then started to stab two alleged Surenos drop outs.
This incident follows the recent transition of High Desert from a medium-max facility to a maximum-security facility.
The source claims the prisoners involved in this stabbing were part of the prisoner swap from Ely State Prison and were in close custody.
According to state regulations, close custody is a restrictive level of supervision for offenders whose offense or conduct shows they have a potential of violence, escape or disruption to the prison operations.
According to the state, close custody is the custody designation for the general population of a maximum security institution.
The source tells Channel 13, they have not received an update on the conditions of the prisoners hospitalized in the stabbing.
NDOC said they are not releasing any more information at this time.
This is a developing story. Channel 13 will provide updates as they are made available.
