30 LA County probation officers are accused of allowing 'gladiator fights' in juvenile hall

Thirty Los Angeles County detention officers face felony charges — including child endangerment, abuse and battery — stemming from accusations that they allowed youths in juvenile hall to participate in “gladiator fights” two years ago, according to state authorities.

In an unsealed grand jury indictment, the California attorney general’s office said the officers “allowed and, in some instances, encouraged” 69 fights between youths at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey during a six-month period in 2023.

More than 140 victims between ages 12 and 18 were affected.

Most of the defendants were arraigned Monday in L.A. County Superior Court, the attorney general’s office said. The rest are expected to be arranged next month.

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

Bonta said filing the charges was an important step in holding the officers accountable and “addressing shortfalls” at Los Padrinos. State regulators have repeatedly cited the Probation Department for lack of staffing at the facility, which they say has led to lack of programming for youths and missed medical appointments.

“We found that the current staffing numbers do not allow for all required activities, operations, programs and facility functions, and to ensure the safety of youth and staff,” the Board of State and Community Corrections said in a Dec. 10 letter to the Probation Department.

In a statement emailed to LAist on Monday, the Los Angeles County Probation Department said that all staff named had been placed on leave without pay.

“While these incidents are deeply troubling, we believe this marks an important step toward rebuilding trust and reinforcing our commitment to the meaningful changes we are proposing in our juvenile facilities,” the Probation Department said.

L.A. County Supervisor Janice Hahn, whose district includes Los Padrinos, said it is “unacceptable” the probation officers would use their power to abuse young people.

“This is only further proof that the culture of our Probation Department needs to change dramatically," she said.

In a statement emailed to LAist, L.A. County Public Defender Ricardo Garcia said the probation system and its underlying culture were "broken."

"As public defenders, we are their constitutional guardians, and we will not stop advocating for their safety and dignity," Garcia said. "Accountability for those who have failed to protect our youth is long overdue — there is no justice in a system that abuses the very youth it is entrusted to care for."

Details from the indictment

The California Department of Justice said it launched its investigation after video surfaced last year of probation officers at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall failing to intervene as a group of youths beat up a 17-year-old.

The video appears to show multiple youths attacking the 17-year-old — kicking and punching him — as probation officers look on. One officer seems to shake the hand of one of the attackers, according to footage published by the Los Angeles Times.

LAist asked the attorney general's office why the charges were filed now, when the alleged incidents happened in 2023. The office responded with a statement that noted it was "a complex case" involving multiple victims and defendants.

"As with all of our cases, our office conducted a thorough and intensive investigation," the office said.

The 41-page indictment released Monday lists 71 counts against the officers — most of them for child abuse or endangerment — and special allegations that the victims were particularly vulnerable and that the accused took advantage of their positions of trust to commit the crimes.

It also listed nine “overt acts” the DOJ claims the officers committed, including allowing the youths to fight each other inside the juvenile hall on several occasions between July 2023 and December 2023, telling new hires beforehand that the fights were going to occur, and telling them they were to “just watch” when the fights happened without saying anything or writing anything down.

Officers Shawn Smyles, Taneha Brooks and Nancy Sostre are specifically mentioned in those overt acts, according to the indictment. The document says the three defendants allowed the youths to fight on more than one occasion, including one in which one of the youths sustained a broken nose.

The indictment accuses Smyles of telling the youths to refuse treatment from nurses at the facility when they were sent to the medical unit.

LAist was not able to reach attorneys for the defendants late Monday.

Stacy Ford, president of the union that represents county probation officers, issued a statement that didn't speak to the charges directly but said its members had been working under difficult conditions.

“Our members have been working under extremely difficult conditions — understaffed and ill-equipped facilities that house individuals accused of murder, sexual assault, terrorism and other serious crimes,” said Ford, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. “Despite these challenges, our professional peace officers remain committed to maintaining the highest level of professionalism while upholding their sworn duties.”

A troubled facility

The announcement of charges comes as a judge is still deciding on whether the county should be forced to move hundreds of youths housed there to other locations.

The Board of State and Community Corrections found last year that the county Probation Department repeatedly failed to meet minimum staffing requirements at Los Padrinos, which meant the young people held there were being confined in their rooms for too long and missing medical appointments.

The board gave the department until Dec. 12 to move youths out of the facility, but the county did not meet the deadline.

During a Feb. 14 hearing, Superior Court Judge Miguel Espinoza heard further comments from Probation Department officials then set a new court date for April 18, when he could make a ruling.

The defendants

Bonta’s office said 22 defendants were arraigned Monday. They were expected to plead not guilty to the charges. The remaining eight have court dates scheduled for April 18.

LAist has not yet been able to determine if all of the defendants have attorneys.