San Diego County Prisoner Dies In Alleged Inmate Attack In Prison

SAN DIEGO, CA — A man serving a three-year prison sentence out of San Diego County for extortion and assault was killed this weekend in an alleged attack by a pair of fellow inmates at a Kern County prison, officials said Monday.

The alleged attack happened Saturday at Wasco State Prison, when David Dominguez, 29, was seen being physically supported by other inmates who told prison staff that he'd had a seizure and had fallen down, officials said.

Medical staff had Dominguez transported via ambulance for treatment, but he died just after 4 p.m., the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.

A review of surveillance footage revealed that inmates Jose Landeros, 27, and Michael Padilla, 37, entered Dominguez's cell and began "engaging in a physical altercation," CDCR officials said.

Landeros and Padilla have since been placed in restricted housing pending an investigation. Four other inmates were also placed in restricted housing during the investigation, though their alleged roles in Saturday's fatal incident were not disclosed.

Dominguez's official cause of death has not yet been determined by county coroners.

Dominguez arrived at Wasco State Prison last fall on a three-year sentence for extortion by means of force or threat and assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury.

Landeros was sentenced in Riverside County to 16 years for second- degree robbery, as well as a three-year, four-month, Kern County sentence for second-degree robbery, assault with a firearm, and false imprisonment with violence.

Padilla was sentenced in San Bernardino County to 22 years for gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

— City News Service