Video shows staff allowing assault by youths at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall
Footage obtained by the L.A. Times shows a December 2023 incident in which staffers can be seen allowing at least six youths to hit and kick a 17-year-old.
Several L.A. County probation officers stood by as at least six youths assaulted a 17-year-old inside Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall late last year, according to footage obtained by The Times.
The video, which depicts a December 2023 incident, shows one youth sustaining punches and kicks in a “day room” decorated for Christmas inside the juvenile hall in Downey.
The footage led the county Probation Department to suspend eight officers in January. The footage was first made public during a court hearing in Sylmar late Thursday morning. The Times obtained a copy hours later.
The 17-year-old sustained a broken nose, his public defender, Sherrie Albin, said in court. Probation officers did not take the teen to receive medical treatment for several days, Albin said.
Asked about the footage, a Probation Department spokesperson noted Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa “took immediate action upon learning of the incident and observing the footage,” but would not comment on the status of the suspended officers.
The video, which depicts a December 2023 incident, shows one youth sustaining punches and kicks in a “day room” decorated for Christmas inside the juvenile hall in Downey.
The footage led the county Probation Department to suspend eight officers in January. The footage was first made public during a court hearing in Sylmar late Thursday morning. The Times obtained a copy hours later.
The 17-year-old sustained a broken nose, his public defender, Sherrie Albin, said in court. Probation officers did not take the teen to receive medical treatment for several days, Albin said.
Asked about the footage, a Probation Department spokesperson noted Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa “took immediate action upon learning of the incident and observing the footage,” but would not comment on the status of the suspended officers.
