Racial Scuffles Break Out in Courthouse Lockups

About 35 to 40 African American and Latino inmates scuffled in lockups Monday in Santa Clarita and Van Nuys courthouses, authorities said.

Two inmates at Van Nuys Superior Court were treated for minor injuries as a result of a five-minute fight at about 11:30 a.m., said Sgt. Robert Stoneman, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.

One man was cut over his left eye in a three-minute battle at a court lockup in Santa Clarita that occurred around 10:30 a.m., said Deputy Benita Hinojos. Authorities said the fights were unrelated.

The latest skirmishes at Santa Clarita and Van Nuys are part of a series of battles between African American and Latino inmates. There have been similar outbreaks at West Los Angeles, Downtown and Santa Monica court lockups in recent months. The fights began after more than 1,000 black and Latino inmates battled at the Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho in early January.

At the Van Nuys court, African American and Latino inmates are segregated “whenever possible,” said Sheriff’s Lt. Dave Long, a court supervisor. But the Northridge earthquake damaged some portions of the San Fernando court and has created an overflow at Van Nuys, Long said.

Since then, the 80-prisoner lockup facility has been near capacity most of the time and well beyond its capacity on Mondays, when inmates pack Van Nuys courtrooms for arraignments and other court hearings.

Inmates are always separated by sexual preference, gender, age, gang affiliation and whenever there is a known history of conflict between two individuals, Long said.