500 Inmates Involved in Fights at Jail

More than 500 inmates battled each other for several hours in five separate brawls at the Peter Pitchess Honor Rancho Wednesday and Thursday, but the fighting caused no serious injuries, authorities said.

The violence, which broke out between Latino and African American prisoners at the jail, is the latest in a series of brawls between the two groups.

A Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokesman said it was unclear what led to the latest series of disturbances, but in the past authorities have blamed the fights on a power struggle between African American and Latino inmates.

On Thursday, 17 prisoners suffered minor cuts and bruises and no deputies were injured, spokesman Gabe Ramirez said.

The fighting began about 9 p.m. Wednesday in a dormitory in the jail’s east facility when 120 inmates began throwing objects at each other, Ramirez said. Deputies were able to quell that fight without using force.

About four hours later, however, at 1 a.m., 124 prisoners brandishing broken broomsticks and safety razors began fighting in another dormitory at the sprawling jail. Deputies were able to restore order within a few minutes, Ramirez said, but only by firing rubber bullets, hurling sting-ball grenades and releasing pepper spray.

A short time later, two other dormitories, housing 125 and 136 inmates, also erupted into violence. Again, deputies used rubber bullets, pepper spray and sting-ball grenades to stop the fighting.

Of the 17 injured prisoners, five were treated and released from the County-USC Medical Center jail ward and the others were treated at the jail’s own medical ward, Ramirez said.

The inmates involved in the fighting will be transferred to other parts of the jail, Ramirez said.

Fighting broke out again between 132 inmates later in the day in the same east facility dorm, injuring 13 more prisoners, said sheriff’s Deputy Rich Erickson. One inmate who suffered a puncture wound and a possible broken jaw was taken to County-USC Medical Center, Erickson said. Deputies recovered six homemade knives in the dorm after the fighting stopped, he said.