Attempted murder of Pelican Bay State Prison officer under investigation

DEL NORTE – Officials with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) are investigating the alleged attempted murder of a peace officer at Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP).

On August 24, 2024, at approximately 6:35 p.m., inmate Devanae Price was being escorted to his cell at the detention center when he partially broke free of his handcuffs and punched an officer in the face. Staff immediately responded and Price ignored requests to lie down. Price continued to strike the officer in the head and torso.

Staff used physical force to quell the attack. A weapon made by an inmate was found at the scene.

The officer was stabbed in the head and two stab wounds were discovered in his stab-proof vest. A medical examination revealed swelling on the head and other minor injuries. The officer was taken to an outside medical facility, treated, and released the same evening.

Price remains in the housing unit. The prison is currently investigating the incident. The case will be forwarded to the Del Norte District Attorney's Office for possible criminal prosecution.

Peer support services are offered to employees.

Price, 33, was last booked out of Stanislaus County on Nov. 7, 2017. He was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. He was charged with first-degree murder and second-degree possession of a firearm by a felon or drug addict. The aggravated penalties include a prior conviction for a felony and first-degree intentional discharge of a firearm causing great bodily injury or death.

Price was sentenced to four years and four months in prison by Del Norte County on July 7, 2022, for assault on a non-prisoner and resisting or deterring an officer by threats or violence while in a prison. He was also sentenced to four years in prison by Marin County on September 7, 2023, for possession or manufacture of a deadly weapon while in a prison as a second offender.

Opened in 1989, PBSP houses approximately 2,200 minimum, medium, high, and maximum security inmates. Located 13 miles from the Oregon-California border, PBSP offers academic courses, vocational training programs, rehabilitation programs, medical services, mental health services, religious services, work placements, and support groups, and employs approximately 1,400 people.