California prison officials are investigating an attack on a correctional counselor at California State Prison, Los Angeles County, in Lancaster as an attempted homicide. The alleged attack happened around 8:30 a.m. Sept. 10, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Officials identified the suspect as Marcus Curry, 50. CDCR said Curry allegedly attacked the counselor as the employee was leaving the office. Staff members quickly intervened and took Curry into custody, and investigators found an improvised weapon at the scene.
The injured counselor was taken to an outside medical facility for treatment and has since been released. Curry has been placed in restricted housing while the prison’s investigative unit continues to examine the case, which is expected to be referred to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on attempted homicide charges.
Curry has been in custody since March 28, 2000. He was serving a life term with parole for felony firearm possession as a third-strike offense and a 20-year sentence for assault with a semiautomatic firearm on a peace officer. He was later sentenced in San Diego County in 2002 to another life term with parole for second-degree murder under California’s three-strikes law.
