TIJUANA – More violence broke out at the overcrowded La Mesa State Penitentiary Wednesday afternoon, just three days after authorities quelled a riot that left at least four inmates dead and several dozen injured.
Female inmates began to riot just before 1 p.m. More than a dozen women climbed on top of the prison's building No. 7, where they are housed, and began to break lights and scream to a throng of people on the sidewalk outside. They shouted that they were being beaten and that there were dead and injured inmates inside.
Rioting then spread to other prison buildings. About a half-hour later, numerous shots could be heard inside the prison as clouds of choking, black smoke rose above the facility as federal agents began arriving to try and quell the disturbance.
Outside, an estimated 2,000 relatives of prisoners rampaged against authorities, throwing rocks and other objects and at one point cornering a municipal police officer until he was able to escape.
Around 2 p.m., waves of pepper spray wafted through the air. It was unclear whether if it was unleashed by inmates inside or by guards trying to regain control. People outside the prison buildings fell to the ground, gasping for air, including several federal police officers.
Since the initial riot broke out Sunday, inmates' families stationed outside the prison have been demanding to know the fate of their loved ones inside.
Authorities said that at least four inmates are known to have died in that riot, although one high-ranking official said Wednesday that more bodies have been found.
The prison is the most overcrowded of the state's detention facilities, with more than 8,000 prisoners.
Omar Millan Gonzalez is a contributor to The Union-Tribune's Spanish-language newspaper, Enlace.
