A 33-year-old inmate from Los Angeles County was allegedly killed in a beating by two other inmates from Los Angeles County at Wasco State Prison in Kern County, authorities said Thursday.
Jose Carrera, 23, and Erik Sabaiz, 24, beat Jose Mendoza with their fists, causing him to fall to the ground, hit his head and lose consciousness about 7:45 p.m. Wednesday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.
A motive for the alleged beating was not immediately known.
Mendoza was pronounced dead less than an hour later, CDCR reported. He arrived at the prison on Feb. 5 and was serving a one-year, four-month sentence for being a felon or addict in possession of a firearm, according to CDCR.
Sabaiz arrived at the prison on Jan. 9. He is serving a four-year sentence for “corporal injury on specific persons resulting in a traumatic condition as a second striker,” CDCR reported.
Carrera was admitted to the prison on Oct. 30 and is serving a four year sentence for assault with a deadly weapon as a second striker, according to CDCR.
Wasco State Prison is a short-term housing center to “process, classify and evaluate new inmates physically and mentally, to determine their security level, program requirements and appropriate institutional placement,” according to CDCR.