LOS ANGELES, CA – Thirty officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles county have been charged for their alleged roles in orchestrating “gladiator fights” between youth detainees, California’s attorney general announced Monday. A grand jury indictment accuses the officers of facilitating and, in some cases, encouraging nearly 70 fights between July and December 2023, involving over 140 victims aged 12 to 18.
“We believe that this was planned, it was intended,” Attorney General Rob Bonta stated. “They often wanted them to happen at the beginning of the day, in a certain time, in a certain place, a space and a time was created for the fights, and the plan was for the fights to happen.”
The officers face charges including child endangerment, abuse, conspiracy, and battery. Twenty-two of the officers were scheduled for arraignment Monday at the Los Angeles county superior court.
The investigation was triggered by footage obtained and published by the Los Angeles Times, showing a 17-year-old being attacked by multiple youths while officers stood by. Some officers were seen laughing and shaking hands with the participants. The video was presented in court by the 17-year-old’s public defender, who argued for his release due to safety concerns at Los Padrinos.
The indictment specifically names two probation officers who allegedly informed staff in advance about upcoming fights, instructing them to “not say anything, write down anything, and just watch.” One officer is also accused of telling youths to “refuse treatment when they went to medical to get treated by nurses.”
The LA county probation department, which operates the facility, released a statement expressing its “full support and applause” for the attorney general’s indictments. The department stated that it initiated the investigation after discovering misconduct and has since cooperated with law enforcement. All involved officers are on leave without pay.
Jamal Tooson, who represents the 17-year-old and his family in a civil lawsuit against the county, described the indictment as “the tip of the iceberg” of a systemic problem within the probation department. He cited a “culture that promotes a lack of accountability, violence and policies that encourage officers to look the other way.” Tooson also noted that the other children’s reactions in the video indicated that the fights were a regular occurrence.
Tooson further revealed that he represents multiple families with children harmed at Los Padrinos, including one who suffered a traumatic brain injury after being knocked unconscious in a classroom.
