A riot in a Los Angeles prison left possibly 30 prisoners and two prison personnel injured Thursday afternoon, local media reported. Castaic’s Pitchess Detention Center, commonly referred to as the Wayside jail, is located in Santa Clarita city 63 km northeast of Los Angeles downtown and operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. It was designed to house approximately 8,600 male inmates in its four separate facilities. The local Santa Clarita Valley Signal newspaper reported on its official website that Los Angeles County Fire Department (LAFD) received a call at 3:11 pm local time (2211GMT) at the jail’s address and dispatched multiple ambulances to the scene.
Marvin Lim, a spokesman for the LAFD, was quoted as saying that the “large fight” involving individuals resulted in more than 30 injuries and it was unclear whether Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department personnel were involved or injured in the mass altercation. Deputy Shawn Dubusky, a spokesperson of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Information Bureau, said he could not confirm the number of injuries, but added that both deputies and inmates had been involved in the altercation. The newspaper also posted a photo showing dozens of the off-duty sheriff’s deputies gathered in the parking lot at Pitchess Detention Center following the riot. – Xinhua
