Christal Hayes
BBC News, Los Angeles
Getty Images
Rapper Tory Lanez has been rushed to hospital after he was stabbed 14 times in a California prison.
The Canadian hip-hop artist was attacked by another inmate on Monday morning in a housing unit at the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, about 75 miles (120km) north of Los Angeles, prison officials told the BBC.
The 32-year-old rapper suffered wounds across his body – causing both of his lungs to collapse, according to a post on his Instagram account.
Lanez, whose legal name is Daystar Peterson, is serving a 10-year prison sentence for shooting fellow musician Megan Thee Stallion in 2020.
The star’s Instagram post said he was stabbed in the back, torso, head and face. He was temporarily placed on a breathing apparatus but is now able to breathe on his own, the Instagram post adds.
“Despite being in pain, he is talking normally, in good spirits, and deeply thankful to God that he is pulling through,” the post said.
The attack happened around 07:20 local time (15:20 GMT), said Pedro Calderón Michel of the state’s corrections department.
Prison staff began first aid before Lanez was taken to a local medical facility for further treatment, he said.
An investigation is underway into the stabbing, Mr Calderón Michel told the BBC. He did not comment on the attacker’s motive.
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Lanez was sentenced in 2023 for three felony gun-related charges, including assault with a semi-automatic firearm.
He shot Megan Thee Stallion, whose legal name is Megan Pete, as they were leaving a pool party at reality star Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood mansion.
The pair argued inside a vehicle about their previous sexual relationship and careers, Megan Thee Stallion testified during the trial.
She said that she had demanded to be let out of the vehicle, at which point Lanez started shooting at the ground and shouted at her to “dance”.
She required surgery to remove bullet fragments from her foot.
Lanez refused to apologise and maintained his innocence in the shooting.
The case divided the hip-hop world with rappers – including 50 Cent and Iggy Azalea – appearing to take sides in the conflict. Some of them wrote to the court to ask for leniency in Lanez’s sentencing.
Lanez had seven US top 10 albums in the seven years before his conviction. He has teased the release of a new album from prison titled Peterson.
