30 Officers Charged with Child Abuse After Allegedly Facilitating 'Gladiator Fights' Among Minors at Juvenile Hall

Thirty detention officers who worked in a California juvenile hall have been indicted on several charges after prosecutors claimed they facilitated “gladiator fights” between minors, according to authorities. 

California Attorney General Rob Bonta shared in a press release on Monday, March 3, that his office had unsealed a grand jury indictment against 30 officers who worked at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey, California, on charges of child endangerment and abuse, conspiracy and battery.

The officers — many of whom were women — allegedly “allowed” and even “encouraged” about “69 fights” to occur between over 140 youths between the ages of 12 and 18 at the juvenile hall in Los Angeles County from July 1, 2023, to December 31, 2023, according to the indictment, per the release.

“Officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall have a duty to ensure the safety and well-being of those under their care,” said Bonta in a statement, per the release. “Instead, the officers charged today did just the opposite – overseeing ‘gladiator fights’ when they should have intervened.”

Investigators with the California Department of Justice began looking into the incidents after video of one of these fights leaked in January 2024, the Attorney General’s Office said.

The indictment alleged that the officers “took advantage” of their position of power and abandoned their duties to “protect those in their care” by holding the fights. It also noted that “aggravating factors,” including the officers’ “position of trust or confidence” with the youths and the youth’s “vulnerability” helped “enable” the officers to “commit the offense.” 

According to the court documents, the “gladiator fights” “endangered” the children’s health and safety, as it created “conditions likely to produce great bodily harm and death” and injury. The fights also resulted in “physical harm to the youth involved.”

“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 added 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.”

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Of the 30 officers, 22 were arraigned at Los Angeles Superior Court on Monday, The rest will be arraigned on April 18, 2025, per the release.

The Attorney General’s Office said aside from the indictments they are working “to address systemic shortfalls” in Los Angeles County juvenile halls — including Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall — in order to “protect the health, safety, and wellbeing of the youths under their care.”

This included putting in place “additional monitoring” of the juvenile facilities and providing “strengthened protections” for minors there as part of an amended court judgment to “address illegal and unsafe conditions.”