8 Inmates Hurt in Melee at Pitchess Jail
A melee between African American and Latino prisoners broke out Tuesday at Pitchess Detention Center, leaving one inmate with at least nine stab wounds and seven others with minor injuries, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department reported.
The stabbed inmate, identified only as a black male, was in satisfactory condition after being treated in the jail infirmary, said Deputy Kimberly Unland.
The fight at the north facility of the jail began about 8:30 a.m. and involved about 50 inmates. The cause was still under investigation. Five improvised knives were found in the dorm where the fight took place.
An emergency response team of deputies used a “stingball grenade” to break up the fracas, Unland said. The grenades explode with a spray of hard rubber pellets meant to stun combatants without seriously injuring them. They are commonly used to break up the interracial brawls that occur frequently at the Pitchess jail.
No deputies were injured.
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