Santa Clara jail inmate stabbed 40 times

Two inmates at the Santa Clara County Main Jail in San Jose attacked a third inmate with a shiv on Sunday morning, stabbing him more than 40 times in the head, neck and back, according to county sheriff’s officials.

The 40-year-old victim was treated for puncture wounds and lacerations at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and has returned to custody, Santa Clara County sheriff’s Deputy Reginald Cooks said.

The victim suffered “significant damage to the head” and had to receive staples, Cooks said.

The attack took place around 9 a.m. while 40 inmates in module 7A were out of their cells for unstructured program time, when they are allowed to work out on the sundeck, read the paper or watch TV.

The two suspects were identified as a 22-year-old held on suspicion of attempted murder and a 24-year-old held on two counts of murder and three counts of attempted murder. Both suspects will be arraigned on additional attempted murder charges connected with Sunday’s attack, Cooks said.

The shiv was fashioned from a piece of metal that had been sharpened like a knife. Materials from the commissary and possibly newspaper were used for a handle, according to Cooks.

The module houses mid- to high-level offenders, including violent offenders and those associated with gangs, but only one correctional deputy was on duty at the time of the stabbing.

The deputy called for backup immediately and instructed the inmates to lock down in their cells, but they were slow to respond, Cooks said, suggesting they may have been complicit in the attack.

The correctional deputy pepper-sprayed the two suspects, but they continued their attack until backup deputies arrived, allowing the first deputy to pull one of the attackers off of the victim.

The backup deputies also pepper-sprayed the attackers and were able to get the second suspect off of the victim, Cooks said.

The two suspects stabbed the victim with such force that the shiv bent, which may have saved the man’s life, Cooks said.

Due to a county ordinance, sheriff’s officials are not releasing the surveillance video, according to Cooks.

The attack appeared to have been unprovoked, but investigators are looking into possible motives.