A physical altercation between two male inmates at a jail in Orange County on Tuesday left one of the men in “extremely critical condition,” authorities said.
The incident occurred about 11:57 a.m. at the Theo Lacy Facility in Orange, according to a news release.
The two men, ages 39 and 49, were housed together at the jail, the county Sheriff’s Department said.
Deputies responded immediately after the fight and found the older inmate unconscious inside of the cell, the statement said.
The jail’s medical staff and paramedics were summoned and the injured man was transported to a hospital, according to officials.
The identities of the two prisoners were being withheld pending an ongoing investigation, the Sheriff’s Department said.
At the request of the department, officials from the district attorney’s Bureau of Investigations responded to the facility and took over the case, sheriff’s officials said.