25 Inmates Hurt in Fight at Honor Rancho

Twenty-five inmates at the Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho in Saugus were injured Saturday in the latest in a series of race-related melees at the facility.

The brawl, which started at 8:20 a.m. and lasted six minutes, erupted between black and Latino inmates in a medium-security module housing 95 prisoners, said Los Angeles Sheriff’s Deputy John Ashley.

As in two of four fights last month, the inmates were arguing over the use of telephones at the 8,300-prisoner facility, he said.

Saturday’s dispute turned into a pushing match that quickly escalated when several inmates armed themselves with broomsticks and began fighting, Ashley said.

Deputies from the south and north branch of the facility quelled the melee. No physical force was used by deputies, Ashley said.

Six inmates suffered serious injuries ranging from cuts to bruises and were being treated at a local hospital, Ashley said. Nineteen other inmates suffered minor scrapes and cuts, and were treated at the hospital and released.