The California Attorney General said Monday that 30 officers working at a youth detention center in Los Angeles County were charged with allowing — in some cases encouraged — a gladiator-style battle among teenagers held there.
Attorney General Rob Bonta said a grand jury charged Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, California for detaining service officials, endangering children and abuse, conspiracy and assault.
Mr Bonta said the 69 battles took place from 1 July 2023 to 31 December 2023 at Los Padrinos. He said the indictment stems from an investigation conducted by the California Department of Justice following a videotape of one of the “Gladiator Fights” leaked in January 2024.
The video, published by The Los Angeles Times in April last year, shows several officers standing next to each other, and at least one seemed to encourage young people who took turns beating a teenager in Los Padrinos' room, decorated with colorful ribbons and other Christmas decorations.
When she presided over the fight, one of the officers seemed to smile point-to-point, while the other shook hands with one of the teenagers after knocking down the attacked teenager and kicking him on the floor.
“Watching the video, officials look more like referees or listeners at trial than adults accused of being cared for and supervised by young people,” Mr Bonta said in a press conference on Monday. “Officers don't intervene, don't intervene, and don't protect their allegations.”
Mr Bonta said investigators later learned that the battle was “not a one-off, isolated incident” and officials from Los Padrinos allowed or encouraged the battle involving 143 young men aged 12 to 18. He called it a “case of child abuse and child endangerment.”
Attorney Jamal Tooson represents two teenagers involved in the battle. Mr Tooson said one person was the victim, when he was 16 years old, he was attacked in the video.
Mr Tooson said the other was 17 years old when he suffered a series of brutal attacks in Los Padrinos, one day which left him unconscious. He said he caused a brain trauma. Both clients are suing the county.
“We are talking about officials who have sworn to protect these minors and are becoming a catalyst for recreational violence,” Mr Tooson said in an interview Tuesday. He called the criminal charges “a step towards accountability.”
“There is a long process that has to completely revamp the Los Angeles County probation department,” he said.
The department oversees young men of Los Padrinos, who said in a statement that officials indicted in the indictment have been arranged for unpaid leave. It said it “seeks law enforcement assistance when it detects misconduct”, which ultimately led to an attorney general’s investigation.
“While these incidents are disturbing, we believe that this marks an important step in rebuilding trust and strengthens our commitment to meaningful changes put forward in juvenile facilities,” the probation department said. “Our vision for them is to prioritize righteous youth with rehabilitation, support and positive outcomes and to uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity for our staff.”
AFSCME Local 685 President Stacy Ford, representing deputy probation officers in Los Angeles County, including 29 officials in the charges, stressed that the person charged was not convicted.
“Our members are entitled to the same innocent assumptions that deserve fair and due process treatment, just like the detainees they offer to them,” he said. “We do not tolerate any illegal acts and we will do everything we can to support them in this difficult situation of driving our members.”
He added that probation officials in Los Angeles County have been working “in extremely difficult conditions”, “understand and under-equipped facilities that house people charged with murder, sexual assault, terrorism and other serious crimes.”
He added that officials remained “committed to maintaining the highest level of professionalism while maintaining sworn in.”
The indictment, amid wider concerns about the situation in Los Padrinos, currently has about 250 young people.
The California and Community Commission said in December that its inspections at the facility found that young people spent “excessive time” in the room without access to plans, recreation or outdoor activities.
Teens there were also forced to urinate in containers, with towels soaked in urine and feces on the floor of the room because no staff could safely escort them to the bathroom, the board said.
Mr Bonta said he has been working on what he calls illegal and insecurity, including Los Padrinos. He said last fall, a judgment was made against the county’s civil lawsuit, requiring additional monitoring and changes to policy, staffing and training.
Mr Bonta said young people entering the justice system should have a chance to recover. “It's almost impossible if they endure the abuse and trauma in the system, especially in the hands of people accused of taking care of them,” he said.
