Six hurt in racial jail brawl that involved more than 60 inmates
The number of inmates hurt and needing medical treatment following a brawl along racial lines Tuesday at Los Angeles County Twin Towers Jail rose to six, officials said.
Steve Whitmore, a sheriff’s spokesman, said the number of inmates hurt during the altercation rose from four to six after investigators sorted out the incident. He said the investigation into the cause of the fight between Latino and black inmates is ongoing.
The brawl broke out at 12:10 p.m in the third-floor recreation area of Tower 1 and was quashed in about 90 seconds after deputies deployed sting balls and gas, Whitmore said.
Twin Towers is among the county’s most modern jails with module-designed levels. Although such fights have been common at the Pitchess facility in Castaic, Twin Towers is rarely the scene of multi-inmate clashes.
Whitmore said charges are likely to be forthcoming once the culprits are clearly identified.
Los Angeles County operates the country’s largest jail system housing around 18,000 to 19,000 inmates daily. Sheriff Lee Baca in the last few years has come in for scathing criticism for his operation of the jails.
Recently, the FBI broadened its investigation into violence in the jail system and Baca hired an outsider to oversee its operations. That investigation has secured one deputy’s conviction and according to sources is now examining two new cases of unprovoked beatings involving deputies.
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