CASTAIC : 5 Inmates Injured During Fights at Jail

Five inmates were injured in fights at a county jail in Castaic, Los Angeles sheriff’s officials said Wednesday.

The first fight broke out at 8:40 p.m. Tuesday among rival groups of black and Latino inmates at the Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho, Deputy Larry Mead said. Between 40 and 50 inmates in the south facility’s barracks were involved in the melee, using broomsticks and mop handles as weapons.

Moments after deputies intervened, another group of inmates began fighting outside nearby barracks, Mead said. Deputies threw a “sting-ball” grenade--which releases rubber pellets that sting rather than penetrate skin--into the group to stop the fight.

Two inmates suffered serious cuts and were taken to Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center, Mead said. Two others suffered minor cuts and were treated by facility doctors.

Officials said another fight broke out inside south facility barracks at 9:30 p.m. Almost 50 Latino inmates chased about 30 black inmates out of the barracks and into a compound, Mead said. As deputies stepped between the two groups, other deputies tossed a stingball into the barracks where about 20 inmates were still fighting.

One inmate was injured in the second incident and was also transferred to Los Angeles County/USC Medical Center, Mead said.

Deputies transferred 49 Latino inmates to the detention center’s north facility after the incident, and 29 black inmates were sent to the Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles.