7 injured in Cook County Jail fight

A maximum security wing of Cook County Jail has been locked down after seven inmates were injured in a gang fight.

Cook County Sheriff's Office spokesman Steve Patterson says a brawl broke out Tuesday evening as 36 inmates returned from recreational activities to a maximum security wing.

Patterson says three men were "punctured" by homemade shanks inside a room where inmates gather to watch television. He says they're at area hospitals for non life-threatening injuries.

Four inmates were treated at the hospital inside the jail for head injuries and "puncture" wounds.

Patterson says officials are searching every cell and common area for weapons. He says the jail collected 1,200 weapons in 2007 and about 600 in 2008.