Los Angeles— Los Angeles County agreed on Monday to pay $2.7 million to a teenager who was attacked by at least six other young people at a juvenile detention center in so-called “gladiator fights” allegedly orchestrated by probation officers.
The boy’s beating at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in 2023 was captured on surveillance video, which also showed several officials standing idly by and shaking hands with those involved.
In March, a state grand jury charged 30 correctional officers with allowing and, in some cases, encouraging nearly 70 fights between July and December 2023. The officers face charges of child endangerment and abuse, conspiracy, and battery.
According to authorities, there were more than 140 victims aged 12 to 18.
Following the announcement of the charges, Attorney General Rob Bonta stated that the attacks appeared to be preplanned.
“They frequently requested that they take place at the start of the day, at a specific time, and in a specific location. “A space and a time were set aside for the fights, and the plan was for them to take place,” he explained.
The investigation began after the Los Angeles Times obtained and published video footage of a then-16-year-old being attacked by at least six other young people, who approached him one by one while officers watched.
The video was first released during a court hearing in which a public defender for the boy, now 17, argued to a judge that he was not safe at Los Padrinos and should be released before his trial.
His attorney, Jamal Tooson, described the settlement as a “first step” toward recognizing the “egregious” behavior of the Los Angeles County Probation Department.
“Our priority needs to be not just protecting my client but all children in similar circumstances under the care and watch of the probation department,” Tooson told reporters. “There were lawsuits before this. I personally represent several people who have been injured at the same facility as a result of this incident.”
According to the department’s correction action plan, staff failed to review the facility’s CCTV footage, delayed transporting the teen to the hospital, and waited too long to notify his parents. To address these issues, the department will ensure CCTV monitors are “staffed routinely” and conduct random footage audits, as well as develop a protocol to ensure that young people in custody receive medical care and that their parents are properly informed.
In April, a judge ruled that the Los Angeles County Probation Department could no longer house juveniles at Los Padrinos, and in May, he approved a plan to relocate more than 100 youths. Los Padrinos has previously been ordered closed by California’s state board, which oversees local correctional facilities.
Tooson believes there is a widespread “culture problem” that extends throughout the probation department’s facilities and cannot be addressed by the correctional action plan. He has filed at least 19 lawsuits in federal court, alleging everything from physical violence tolerated by officials to sexual assault by staff members in LA County’s youth detention centers, he said.
“Until we actively start changing the mindset and behavior of those who are put into a caretaking responsibility of these youth, I think we’re going to find ourselves in the same situation,” he stated.”
