A correctional officer was rushed to an outside hospital after an inmate armed with an improvised weapon attacked him on the yard at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa on September 9, 2026. Staff say 30-year-old Jorge Villa carried out the assault before officers intervened with chemical agents and physical force to bring it to an end.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is investigating the attack as an attempted homicide, according to a CDCR announcement issued Friday. Investigators recovered the improvised weapon at the scene, and the Office of the Inspector General has been notified, per the same agency. As reported by Sierra Sun Times, the San Diego County District Attorney's Office is now investigating the case alongside prison officials, and Villa has been placed in restricted housing while the probe continues.
State correctional officials have not released the officer's current medical condition or details about the physical design of the weapon recovered from the yard, according to FOX 11 Los Angeles. The motive behind the attack has not been disclosed. CDCR says it is offering peer support and other services to staff at the facility in the aftermath.
Villa's Criminal History and Sentencing
The Sierra Sun Times report notes Villa was most recently received into state custody from Los Angeles County in December 2024. He is currently serving a nine-year sentence stemming from convictions that include first-degree burglary, corporal injury on specific persons resulting in a traumatic condition, and discharge of a firearm with gross negligence as a second striker, per the same outlet's reporting drawn from CDCR records.
Villa has been placed in restricted housing while the Donovan facility's investigative services unit works the case.
A Second Attack Just One Day Later
The Donovan assault was not an isolated event. Just one day after the Otay Mesa attack, CDCR reported another attempted homicide investigation, this time at California State Prison, Los Angeles County, where inmate Marcus Curry allegedly attacked a male correctional counselor as he was leaving the counselor's office. An improvised weapon was discovered at the scene. The back-to-back incidents involved attacks on state prison staff.
The article also includes other information about Donovan. Monthly CDCR incident tracking from October 2024 recorded 301 instances of incarcerated individuals battering staff members and 54 staff assaults across California's state prisons, according to The Toughest Beat. In June 2025, CDCR placed all Level III and Level IV facilities on modified programming in response to a rising trend of violent attacks on staff and increased contraband discoveries.
Overcrowding at San Diego's Only State Prison
Opened in July 1987 near the U.S.-Mexico border, the 780-acre Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility is the only state-run prison operating within San Diego County, according to Wikipedia.
The facility has also been discussed in connection with other issues.
Potential Legal Exposure for Villa
If prosecutors move forward with charges, the potential legal consequences remain undetermined. The status of any charges against Villa was not established in the sources reviewed, and the investigation by the San Diego County District Attorney's Office remains ongoing.
