A juvenile detention center in California is having a reckoning. Multiple detention officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall are facing charges after it was discovered that they knew the minors were fighting. Not only did they know, but they also were allowing the fights to happen.
Now, the California attorney general is taking the officers to court. They are accused of willingly putting the minors’ lives in danger. None of the minors died, but the effects will last. The arraignments have only just begun; no jail time has been announced yet.
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California Attorney General Rob Bonta shared a press release on March 3, 2025. He stated that his office had unsealed the grand jury indictment against 30 officers at the Downey, California, juvenile hall. They face charges of child abuse, child endangerment, battery, and conspiracy.
According to the indictment, many of the officers were women. Allegedly, they “allowed” and even “encouraged” about 69 “gladiator fights” between more than 140 minors between the ages of 12 and 18. The fights happened between July 1, 2023, and December 31, 2023.
“Officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall have a duty to ensure the safety and well-being of those under their care,” Bonta shared in a statement, per the release. “Instead, the officers charged today did just the opposite – overseeing ‘gladiator fights’ when they should have intervened.”
The attorney general’s office noted that a video of a fight had been leaked in January 2024, People reported. The video leak caused investigators from the California Department of Justice to begin looking into the incidents.
In the indictment, it was alleged that officers “took advantage” of their positions of power. Additionally, they seemed to forget their duty to “protect those in their care” by allowing the fights. There were also “aggravating factors,” which included the officers “position of trust or confidence” with the minors. The minors’ “vulnerability” helped the officers “commit the offense.”
Court documents stated that the fights “endangered” the children’s health and safety,” People reported. It created “conditions likely to produce great bodily harm and death” and injury to the minors. Plus, the fights ended up creating “physical harm to the youth involved.”
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In addition to the indictments, the attorney general’s office shared that it is working “to address systemic shortfalls” in Los Angeles County juvenile halls, including Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall. Its aim is to “protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of the youths under their care.”
“The indictment – and the filing of criminal charges – is an important step toward holding these officers accountable and addressing shortfalls at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall,” Bonta shared in his statement. “Let today’s charges be a warning for all those who abuse their power: the California Department of Justice is watching, and we will hold you accountable.”
Twenty-two of the officers were arraigned at Los Angeles Superior Court on March 3, 2025. Per the release, the remaining officers will be arraigned on April 18, 2025.
