LOS ANGELES (KABC) — More than a dozen detention services officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of child endangerment and abuse, conspiracy, and battery.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced an indictment against 30 officers last month, which claims they “allowed” and in some cases “encouraged” 69 fights to occur between youths at Los Padrinos over a five-month period in 2023.
An indictment alleges that the officers “allowed and, in some instances, encouraged” 69 fights among youth detainees at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall.
A group of officers pleaded not guilty while another group’s hearing was postponed.
“The hearing [Friday] for the first group of the charged probation officers is to continue a pretrial hearing to July 18,” said attorney Tom Yu, who is representing one of the officers. “I’m going to file a motion to set aside the indictment. What we’re saying is that what the grand jury heard and saw was insufficient to charge my client for a crime of child abuse.”
The indictment stems from a California Department of Justice investigation of a video of one of the so-called “gladiator fights” that leaked in January 2024.
Yu said many of the juveniles in the system are violent offenders and members of rival gangs who will fight each other, whether they are encouraged to do so or not.
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn said she’s in support of Bonta filing the indictment.
“The young people in Los Padrinos are not only in our custody, they are in our care,” read a statement she issued last month. “It is unacceptable that probation officers who were entrusted with this responsibility would use their power to abuse these kids.”
Yu told Eyewitness News most of the 30 officers have been working under dangerous conditions.
“They’re scared to go to work because they may be assaulted and they have no backup,” he said. “They don’t have radios. Some of the officers are not issued radios. Some of the officers are not issued handcuffs. They are handcuffed from doing their jobs.”
Judge orders LA County to develop plan for closing juvenile hall
On Friday, a judge issued a tentative order, calling on the county to develop a plan for moving detainees out of the facility, which state regulators have declared unsuitable to house youth.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michael Espinoza has been weighing the fate of Los Padrinos, which houses about 300 youth detainees whose criminal cases are still pending in court.
In December, the California Board of State and Community Corrections declared Los Padrinos unsuitable to house youth detainees, citing various issues — most notably staffing deficiencies. But the county, lacking any viable alternative to house the detainees, has continued to operate the facility despite the state order.
The county Public Defender’s Office has been challenging the continued use of Los Padrinos, claiming youth in the facility are unsafe.
On Friday, Espinoza, who has been considering the issue in connection with a pending murder case against one of the juveniles detained at the facility, directed the county Probation Department to return to court next month with a plan for relocating the detainees.
The Probation Department issued a statement Friday afternoon saying it will “move swiftly to implement a depopulation plan for Los Padrinos Hall that aligns with our broader facilities strategy and prioritizes public safety.”
“We are grateful that Judge Espinoza recognized the progress the department has made and upheld the importance of a measured approach — one that avoids the release of youth and supports a safe and orderly transition to other youth facilities,” according to the department. “Our existing proposed global facilities plan already called for relocating high-needs young men and women from Los Padrinos, and this ruling allows us to accelerate that effort.
We remain fully committed to protecting the well-being of both the young people in our care and our staff, and will continue to work and collaborate closely with our County and State partners.”
Hahn issued a statement saying she supports the order to close Los Padrinos.
“There are young people in Los Padrinos who should be moved to alternate facilities, but there are also many who can and should be safely released back home, monitored with ankle monitors, or cared for in community-based placements like a Boys Republic,” Hahn said. “At this time, my ultimate concern is for the well-being of the hundreds of young people in our care who have not been getting what they need to rehabilitate.”
The Public Defender’s Office hailed Espinoza’s ruling, saying the closure of Los Padrinos is long overdue.
“The Probation Department’s chaos creates dangerous ripple effects on our youth’s safety,” according to a statement from the agency. “Time and again, in report after report, we’ve seen neglect, mismanagement, and abuse, all while officials insist that change is coming. The court’s order today is a step in the right direction. We look forward to participating in the development of the plan to depopulate Los Padrinos.”
The Probation Department has repeatedly appealed to the BSCC to lift the ruling of unsuitability at Los Padrinos, insisting that improvements have been made. But state regulators have refused to budge.
The juvenile hall has been plagued with management and operational issues since it was hastily reopened in 2023 to house detainees relocated from Central Juvenile Hall in Boyle Heights and Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall in Sylmar, which were both ordered closed by the state.
But after a successful relocation operation, Los Padrinos has suffered from short-staffing, allegations of violence among detainees sometimes while probation officers allegedly stood by without intervening, and escape attempts.
City News Service, Inc. contributed to this report.
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