L.A. Jail Brawl: 4 Injured After Fight Breaks Out Between Blacks and Latinos
A fight between black and Latino prisoners broke on Tuesday in a Los Angeles jail, resulting in the injury of four inmates who required medical care.
At least 62 inmates were involved in a racially charged fight that broke out at the Twin Towers prison in California, reports stated. The fight broke out sometime around noon on the third floor recreation center of Tower 1, The Los Angeles Times reported. The altercation was dispersed in less than 90 seconds.
"We cannot say how many of the inmates were exactly involved, but 62 were in the area at the time," sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore said, who added that sting balls and gas were used to end the brawl. Fights at the Twin Towers are rare.
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Violence within California prisons has become a recurring issue for the state, however- particularly incidents that appear to be racially charged. Los Angeles County hosts one of the largest jail systems with over 18,000 inmates daily. At least two other prison riots occurred in 2012 outside Los Angeles; in the more recent riot, 13 prisoners were sent to the hospital including one that was shot by a guard.
And in addition to inmate violence, the jail system has also been accused of using excessive force. A 2012 report by the Citizen's Commission on Jail Violence claimed "[t]here has been a persistent pattern of unreasonable force in the Los Angeles County jails that dates back many years."
Sheriff Lee Baca, responsible for the operations of the jails, has borne the brunt of most of this criticism. The FBI is currently in the midst of an investigation into at least two cases involving violence in the jail system.
