8 Hurt in Racial Brawl at Pitchess Jail
SAUGUS — Seven inmates and a deputy suffered minor injuries during a racially motivated brawl among inmates at Pitchess Detention Center, according to authorities.
The fight--involving 20 African-Americans and Latinos--occurred about 7 p.m. Friday in a dormitory in the jail’s South Facility, according to Deputy Benita Nichol of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Deputies used pepper spray to subdue the combatants, authorities said. A deputy who suffered a cut to the hand while trying to stop one fight was treated at a hospital.
Three of the inmates were taken to the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center jail ward for treatment of injuries described as not life-threatening. Four other inmates were treated for minor injuries at the jail’s clinic.
The cause of the fight was under investigation, authorities said.
Friday’s brawl was the latest in a series of fights--mostly between blacks and Latinos--that have occurred at the facility in recent months.
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