Los Angeles County has agreed to pay $2.67 million to a teenager who was beaten by several other juveniles in one of the so-called gladiator fights that prosecutors said took place at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, Calif., in 2023.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved the payout on Tuesday in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Jose Rivas Barillas, who was 16 when he was punched, kicked and stomped on by at least six other teens at the facility during a fight in December 2023.
Thirty probation officers at the detention center who the authorities said not only failed to prevent the attacks, but also might have enabled them, are facing criminal charges.
Surveillance video captured Mr. Barillas, now 18, being attacked while probation officers watched. Some were seen exchanging high-fives and handshakes with the attackers, according to Jamal Tooson, Mr. Barillas’s lawyer.
“He did not get medical attention after the beating, nor did they notify his parents,” Mr. Tooson said. “Instead, they let him sit there with his nose bleeding into his lunch.”
Commenting on the settlement, Kathryn Barger, chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said in the statement that “what happened to this young person at Los Padrinos was inexcusable.”
In March, California Attorney General’s Office’s announced that a grand jury had indicted the probation officers, accusing them of encouraging 69 fights at the juvenile detention facility from July 2023 to December 2023. They face charges of child endangerment and abuse, conspiracy and battery, according to the office.
About 140 detainees — ranging in ages from 12 to 18 — were involved in the fights, officials said.
“Officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall have a duty to ensure the safety and well-being of those under their care,” Rob Bonta, the state’s attorney general, said in a statement in March. “Instead, the officers charged today did just the opposite — overseeing ‘gladiator fights’ when they should have intervened.”
The investigation into the juvenile facility began after a video of Mr. Barillas’s pummeling was made public. The video shows that as he awaits a court hearing, he is approached by a probation officer who asks questions, including whether he was gang-affiliated, Mr. Tooson said. The officer then tells him she hopes he can fight, according to the Los Angeles County General Counsel’s Office.
Shortly after the encounter, at least six other young juveniles were escorted one by one into a room and took turns attacking Mr. Barillas, Mr. Tooson said.
Mr. Barillas suffered a fractured nose and a traumatic brain injury, Mr. Tooson said. After the attack, he began experiencing frequent migraines, short-term memory loss and sleep disturbances. Despite these symptoms, he was initially given only Tylenol and did not receive immediate medical attention, Mr. Tooson said. His parents were not notified of the episode, the lawyer added.
The teenager eventually received a brief exam from the facility’s nurse several hours later, Mr. Tooson said. It was only months later that a neurologist saw him for his injuries, the lawyer said.
Mr. Tooson said the attack was captured on a camera at the facility. The footage contradicted the staff’s portrayal of the fights as isolated confrontations.
“This is not an isolated case,” Mr. Tooson said, citing additional lawsuits he said he had filed on behalf of other juveniles involving sexual abuse and repeated assaults at the same facility. “We were only able to pursue this because it was caught on camera.”
Los Angeles County has taken steps to address some of the issues raised during an investigation into the fights, according to a corrective actions report prepared by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors.
The correctional officers involved in the fights have been suspended pending criminal proceedings, with administrative reviews to follow. The report recommends staff be added to monitor video surveillance cameras, which were previously unattended.
The report also calls for medical response protocols to be updated to ensure timely transport based on severity of injuries and illness.
Commenting on the settlement and allegations of misconduct at the juvenile facility, Janice Hahn, a member of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said, “These probation officers who abused their power have not only caused harm to those they were trusted to care for, but now taxpayers are footing the bill for their criminal behavior.”.
Mark Walker is an investigative reporter for The Times focused on transportation. He is based in Washington.
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