Chula Vista Jail Riot Hurts More Than 50

A riot involving more than 50 inmates broke out at County Jail in Chula Vista early Sunday, leaving 12 inmates injured and forcing guards to call in additional sheriff’s deputies and Chula Vista police for reinforcements.

Sgt. John Scheck, a watch commander at the jail at 500 3rd Ave., said the outburst appeared to have been racially motivated, “with whites fighting blacks and blacks fighting whites. The fights were distinctive as to color.”

But he acknowledged that a more likely cause was tension caused by overcrowding. Module 1-B, in which the fights broke out, has a listed capacity of 24 but is occupied by 137 inmates.

Scheck said a deputy notified jail control at about 1:30 a.m. that a number of inmates were fighting, “and when we got there, it was an all-out fight--in some cases, two to three fights going on at once.”

He said the inmates were using broom handles, fists and feet, and that most of the injuries consisted of cuts to the back, neck and face. He said a warning horn was sounded repeatedly to quell the riot, to no avail. Finally, 22 deputies were summoned, along with 11 Chula Vista police officers and a crew of paramedics.

Seven inmates suffered more serious injuries and were taken to local hospitals.