Racial Brawl at Pitchess Jail Second in 2 Days
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CASTAIC — A racial fight at the Pitchess jail over a vending machine-access card marked a second straight day of disturbances there.
The brawl, which began at 9:17 p.m. Sunday in the East Facilities of the complex, involved about 20 inmates, said Deputy Bob Killeen, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.
Killeen said one inmate suffered a superficial puncture wound to the back during the fight, which began after an inmate stole another’s access card.
“It’s a cashless jail now,” Killeen said. “They have cards to purchase things.”
The detention center is located near Castaic adjacent to the Golden State Freeway north of California 126 near Hasley Canyon Road.
The fight was between black and Latino inmates, Killeen said. No deputies were hurt as they quelled the disturbance, he said.
Saturday deputies stopped another fight, over a candy bar, that left one inmate with serious cuts and another with a broken arm. That fight also involved about 20 inmates.
Saturday’s fight took place in a different section of the jail and involved none of the same inmates who fought Sunday, Killeen said.
The two fights were the latest in a series of racial brawls at the county facility during the past several years.
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