7 Inmates Injured in Latest Brawl at Jail
Seven inmates were injured Saturday, none of them seriously, in yet another fight between black and Latino inmates at the Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho in Castaic, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported.
It was the 12th confrontation divided along racial lines at the county-run jail since June. On Friday, 13 inmates received minor injuries during a melee that erupted after two inmates argued over the use of a telephone.
Saturday’s fight, in a different part of the jail, involved about 30 inmates, said Sgt. Larry Lincoln. It broke out in the medium-security south facility shortly after 12:30 p.m. when a Latino inmate accused a black inmate of theft.
“This led to a fight in the barracks, which spilled out onto the compound,” Lincoln said.
Deputies quelled the disturbance without incident in about five minutes. No weapons were used by the inmates or the deputies.
Five prisoners were treated for minor injuries at the jail. Two others were taken to San Fernando Hospital to be X-rayed for possible broken bones, Lincoln said.
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