California charges 30 officers over ‘gladiator fights’ at juvenile facility

Staff at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall alleged to have allowed or encouraged nearly 70 fights involving young detainees

Thirty officers at a southern California juvenile detention facility have been charged for their role in facilitating so-called gladiator fights" between youth in their care, the state's attorney general said on Monday.

A grand jury indictment alleges the officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles county allowed and sometimes encouraged nearly 70 fights to take place between July 2023 and December 2023. More than 140 victims between the ages of 12 and 18 were involved.