Prisoner Accused In Attempted Homicide Of Guard At San Diego Prison

SAN DIEGO, CA — A prisoner serving a life sentence for second-degree murder is suspected in the attempted homicide of a guard at a San Diego prison, officials said.

Nelson Barrera is accused of stabbing the officer's protective vest twice at about 4:30 p.m. Sunday at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The injured officer was treated, medically cleared and resting at home Monday.

"Staff made several unsuccessful attempts to persuade Barrera to relinquish the weapon," officials said in a news release. "Barrera then punched a security window and injured his arms and hands."

Barrera eventually gave guards his two "improvised weapons" and was handcuffed and treated by the prison's medical staff, according to the CDCR. He was then transferred to another prison. He faces possible felony prosecution by the San Diego County District Attorney's Office.

Barrera was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder and intentional discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury and death. He was sent to the San Diego prison from San Francisco County in 2011.