16 Inmates Hurt in Pitchess Melee
Sixteen inmates suffered minor injuries Thursday in a jailhouse brawl between African Americans and Latinos, authorities said.
The 10-minute fight started just after 7 a.m. in a dormitory at Pitchess Detention Center when one inmate sat on another’s bed without that man’s permission, said Jim Hellmold, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office.
The inmate apologized to the offended prisoner but “both men got into a fight anyway,” Hellmold said.
The fight escalated to involve 61 inmates, according to authorities.
Hellmold said deputies were able to bring the fight under control using only verbal commands and avoided any injuries to the officers.
All the injured prisoners were treated for minor cuts and bruises at the jail’s medical facilities, Hellmold said.
Thursday’s brawl was the latest in a series of conflicts that have erupted periodically in the last few months between African Americans and Latinos incarcerated at Pitchess.
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