Vest protects officer from stabbing by inmate

U-T San Diego — An inmate at an Otay Mesa prison attacked a correctional officer with a homemade weapon Sunday night, a state official said Monday.

Jason Harmon rushed the 27-year-old officer as inmates were getting medication about 8:05 p.m. at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. Harmon stabbed the officer with the pointed end of the weapon, but struck the officer's protective vest, said Robert Brown, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

The officer tried to subdue Harmon, but he continued to attack, Brown said. Other officers stepped in to stop the attack and took away the weapon.

Harmon, 37, was taken to a hospital for a cut on his head and possibly a broken hand, Brown said. He was put into the Administration Segregation Unit at the prison. The officer suffered minor cuts and bruises.

Investigators are looking into what may have prompted the incident, if anything, Brown said.

Harmon is serving a life sentence for attempted first-degree murder of a peace officer, assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer, carjacking, buying or receiving stolen equipment and evading a peace officer while driving recklessly. He has been imprisoned since 2011.