Guards Allegedly Staged 'Gladiator Fights' at Calif. Juvenile Hall — and a Shocking Video May Prove It

Los Angeles County has agreed to pay $2.67 million to a teenager who was beaten by several other juveniles in a “gladiator fight” initiated by probation officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in 2023 — just one of many such brawls allegedly orchestrated by officers.

The payout was approved on June 3, in a lawsuit filed on behalf of Jose Rivas Barillas, who was 16 when the fight occurred, according to a settlement of litigation document obtained by PEOPLE. 

Surveillance video showed that on Dec. 22, 2023, several deputy probation officers orchestrated, provoked and encouraged an assault on Barillas by several other juveniles who were incarcerated at Los Padrinos, according to the settlement document.

When Barillas arrived at the detention center, a probation officer demanded to know his gang affiliation, according to the settlement document. Barillas said he was not a gang member but the probation officer said she was aware he was from the “Canoga” gang and hoped that he knew how to fight. 

Video footage showed that the probation officer and several others then directed other juvenile detainees to attack Barillas in a day room at Los Padrinos. He was repeatedly punched, kicked and stomped while probation officers watched and did nothing to stop the attacks. 

“He did not get medical attention after the beating, nor did they notify his parents,” Jamal Tooson, Barilla’s lawyer, told The New York Times. “Instead, they let him sit there with his nose bleeding into his lunch.”

In March, a grand jury indicted 30 probation officers at Los Padrinos on charges of child endangerment, abuse, conspiracy and battery, the California Attorney General’s office said in a statement. 

The indictment came after video footage of the so-called “gladiator fights” was leaked, the statement from California Attorney General said. It alleges that probation officers encouraged 69 fights to occur between the juvenile detainees from July to December 2023. 

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

The indictment alleges that 143 victims between the ages of 12 and 18 years old were affected over the course of six months. 

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Attorney General Bonta announced that Los Angeles has taken additional steps to address systemic shortfalls in the juvenile halls to “protect the health, safety and well being of youths under their care,” according to a corrective actions report prepared by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, the statement said. 

“These new terms will strengthen oversight and accountability, and lead to necessary and overdue improvement to conditions at these facilities,” Bonta said.