Tory Lanez, whose real last name is Daystar Peterson, was taken into a hospital in a rush due to a brutal stabbing attack in the Tehachapi’s California Correctional Institution on May 12, 2025. At 32, serving a 10-year sentence for shooting fellow musician Megan Thee Stallion in 2020, he survived a brutal attack that left him with 14 stab wounds and collapsed lungs. Recovering within a prison infirmary, Lanez’s experience has reignited controversy around celebrity justice, prison security, and his battle in court.
It was around 7:20 a.m. on May 12, during morning yard time at Tehachapi prison, that Lanez was attacked by a fellow prisoner. His assailant stabbed him 14 times, of which seven were on his back, four on his body, two on the back of his head, and one on his face. The severity of the attack collapsed both of his lungs and he was taken in for urgent medical attention. The Tehachapi prison authorities also reacted quickly, administering first-aid treatment and placing a call for 911. Lanez was airlifted to a civilian medical center in Bakersfield, where he was installed on a breathing machine.
A statement posted on Lanez’s verified Instagram account later that day said he was “deeply thankful to God” for pulling through. “Despite being in pain, he is talking normally, in good spirits,” the post added, thanking supporters for their prayers. By May 13, medical staff had removed tubes draining fluid from his lungs, and Lanez was breathing on his own. His father, Sonstar Peterson, told reporters on May 14 that his son was “recovering remarkably well,” with only wound healing left. Lanez has since been transferred to the prison’s medical facility for ongoing care, according to sources close to the case.
The 42-year-old alleged attacker, Santino Casio, is serving his life with parole for attempted murder and second-degree murder, convictions that go back to 2004. He has a long criminal history of violence, including a 2008 charge for an aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a 2018 charge of carrying a deadly weapon. He was placed in restricted housing—typically solitary—after the attack pending an investigation. The reason for the attack is not yet clear, although unsubstantiated speculation on social media sites such as X has attributed the attack to Lanez’s recent court maneuvers or interpersonal conflicts. They have not been confirmed by authorities.
It is being investigated by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, along with the District Attorney’s office of Kern County and the Office of the Inspector General. The investigation is aimed at ascertaining whether or not the attack was aimed specifically at a single inmate or was an indicator of more profound security issues with the prison, which is home to in excess of 3,000 inmates. The CDCR has not yet identified the weapon or the motive of the attack, but that the repeat offense inmate was the assailant in this attack has raised questions about the monitoring and segregation of prisoners.
Lanez was, in December of 2022, convicted of three felonies—assault with a semiautomatic firearm, carrying of a firearm in illegal manner, and negligent discharge of a firearm—arising out of an incident that happened in July of 2020. He fired shots into Megan Thee Stallion’s feet in a dispute in the wake of a party in Kylie Jenner’s Hollywood Hills residence, causing her to have to be taken in for surgery. The trial divided the hip-hop community, with both sides of Lanez fans rallying for his innocence while others were condemning the shooting of Megan, whose actual name is Megan Pete.
In early 2025, Megan obtained a five-year restraining order against Lanez, alleging he was harassing her from prison through third parties, including bloggers spreading false claims about the shooting. Lanez’s legal team, backed by the nonprofit Unite The People, has since claimed new evidence could clear him, alleging another woman at the scene, Kelsey Harris, fired the gun. Megan’s lawyer, Alex Spiro, characterized those allegations as unfounded, asserting the case was “correctly resolved” by a jury. Lanez’s camp asked California Governor Gavin Newsom on May 14 for a pardon, pointing out that being stabbed was a reason for immediate release.