30 officers indicted over ‘gladiator fights’ between minors at California juvenile hall

In this file photo, students are escorted through the halls of a Juvenile Detention Center in Indianapolis. (Matt Detrich, Matt Detrich / USA)

Thirty corrections officers at a California juvenile hall have been indicted on child abuse charges after allegedly co-ordinating “gladiator fights” between minors for at least six months, state prosecutors announced this week.

Officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall allowed and encouraged nearly 70 fights to occur between youths ages 12 and 18 from July through December 2023, California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office announced in a news release Monday.

The officers are also charged with child endangerment, conspiracy, and battery in connection to the alleged fights at the juvenile hall in Downey, which is located in Los Angeles County, about 13 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles.

The indictment stems from an investigation launched by the California Department of Justice after footage of one of the “gladiator fights” leaked in January 2024.

In sum, the fighting involved 143 minor victims.

Factors that helped enable the alleged fights include “the vulnerability of the victims and the officer’s position of trust or confidence,” the indictment states.

The court documents identify 69 incidents over a six-month period where probation officers “facilitated and permitted youths in their custody to fight each other,” according to the release. “These so-called ‘gladiator fights’ resulted in physical harm to youth involved and, if the charges are proven, were a dereliction of the officers’ duty to protect those in their care.”

22 corrections officers arraigned, 8 set to be arraigned next month

On Monday, a judge arraigned 22 of the 30 officers during a hearing at Los Angeles Superior Court.

The remaining eight officers are slated to be arraigned on April 18, according to a release from Bonta’s office.

It was not immediately known whether all 30 officers had obtained attorneys in the case.

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‘A warning for all’

“Officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall have a duty to ensure the safety and well-being of those under their care. Instead, the officers charged today did just the opposite − overseeing ‘gladiator fights’ when they should have intervened,” Bonta released in a statement.

Bonta called the mass indictment “an important step” toward holding the officers accountable and “addressing shortfalls” at the juvenile detention center.

“Let today’s charges be a warning for all those who abuse their power: the California Department of Justice is watching, and we will hold you accountable,” Bonta said.

Reporting by Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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