Convicted rapist stabbed California prison officers with makeshift weapon, CDCR says

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Shuantae R. Taylor, 43, is accused of stabbing two prison officers on July 27, 2025. / California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

LANCASTER, Calif. - An alleged attack on two officers at a Los Angeles County prison is being investigated as an attempted homicide, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.  

What we know:

The attack took place on July 27 around 6:45 p.m. at California State Prison, Los Angeles County in Lancaster, according to the CDCR. 

Shuantae R. Taylor, 43, a convicted rapist serving a life sentence, is accused of repeatedly stabbing two officers with a makeshift weapon when they entered his cell during an inspection, officials said. 

The two officers were taken to a hospital where they were treated and discharged. No other injuries were reported. 

SUGGESTED: California prison inmate's death being investigated as homicide: CDCR

One improvised weapon was recovered in the cell. 

Taylor was transported to a different prison where he will be placed in restrictive housing. He faces a possible felony charge pending an investigation by the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.

Taylor came to the Lancaster facility in 2009 from San Bernardino County to serve a life sentence with the possibility of parole for charges including oral copulation with force, violence, or fear of immediate bodily injury. He was also sentenced to 40 years for discharge of a firearm in an inhabited dwelling/vehicle/aircraft. 

He was also sentenced for multiple offenses out of Kings and Kern counties in 2019 and 2020, respectively.

What we don't know:

It's unknown which prison Taylor was transferred to.