Latest news with #LosAngelesCountyProbationDepartment
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
L.A. County to pay $2.7 million to teen assaulted in 'gladiator fight'
Los Angeles County is poised to pay nearly $2.7 million to a teenager whose violent beating at a juvenile hall launched a sprawling criminal investigation into so-called 'gladiator fights' inside the troubled facility. Video of the December 2023 beating, captured on CCTV, showed Jose Rivas Barillas, then 16, being pummeled by six juveniles at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall as probation officers stood idly by. Each youth attacked Rivas Barillas for a few seconds before returning to breakfast. Two officers, later identified as longtime probation officials Taneha Brooks and Shawn Smyles, laughed and shook hands, encouraging the brawl. "What made this unique is the video,' said Rivas Barillas' attorney, Jamal Tooson, who said his client suffered a broken nose and traumatic brain injury. 'The entire world got to witness the brutality that's taking place with our children at the hands of the Los Angeles County Probation Department.' The video, first reported by The Times, prompted a criminal investigation by the state attorney general's office, which later charged 30 probation officers — including Brooks and Smyles — with allowing and encouraging fights among teens inside county juvenile halls. California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta referred to the coordinated brawls as 'gladiator fights' and said his office's CCTV review had turned up 69 such fights during the chaotic first six months after the hall opened in July 2023. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to approve the $2.67-million settlement to Rivas Barillas and his mother, Heidi Barillas Lemus. According to a public summary of the 'corrective action plan' that the Probation Department must produce before a large settlement, officials failed to review CCTV video of the fight and waited too long to transport the teen to a hospital and notify his family. CCTV monitors are now 'staffed routinely,' and officials are working on conducting random audits of the recordings, according to the plan. A spokesperson for the Probation Department did not respond to a request for comment. Immediately after Rivas Barillas arrived at the Downey juvenile hall, Brooks demanded to know his gang affiliation, according to the claim filed with the county. Brooks said she had heard that Rivas Barillas, who is Latino, was from the "Canoga" gang and that she "hoped he could fight' before directing the other juveniles, all of whom were Black, to attack him in the day room, the claim stated. After the video made headlines, accounts of teens forced by probation officers to fight have trickled out of Los Padrinos. A teen told The Times in March that officers at Los Padrinos rewarded him with a fast-food 'bounty' — In-N-Out, Jack in the Box, McDonald's — if he beat up kids who misbehaved. The teenager, who had previously been housed in the same unit as Rivas Barillas, said staffers would also organize fights when someone arrived who was thought to be affiliated with a gang that didn't get along with the youths inside. 'We get a new kid, he's from the hood. We have other hoods in here. We're going to get all the fights out of the way,' he said at the time. 'They were just setting it up to control the situation.' Another teenager, identified in court filings as John (Lohjk) Doe, alleged in a lawsuit filed in February that soon after arriving at Los Padrinos in 2024, he was escorted by an officer to the day room. The officer, identified only by the surname Santos, told a youth inside the day room that 'you have eleven (11) seconds' and watched as the youth attacked Doe, according to the lawsuit. On another occasion, the same officer threatened to pepper-spray Doe if he didn't fight another youth for 20 seconds. The teens who fought were rewarded with extra television and more time out of their cells, the suit alleged. After the teen told a female officer about the two coordinated brawls, he was transferred to solitary confinement, the suit alleged. Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
L.A. County to pay $2.7 million to teen assaulted in ‘gladiator fight'
Los Angeles County is poised to pay nearly $2.7 million to a teenager whose violent beating at a juvenile hall launched a sprawling criminal investigation into so-called 'gladiator fights' inside the troubled facility. Video of the December 2023 beating, captured on CCTV, showed Jose Rivas Barillas, then 16, being pummeled by six juveniles at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall as probation officers stood idly by. Each youth attacked Rivas Barillas for a few seconds before returning to breakfast. Two officers, later identified as longtime probation officials Taneha Brooks and Shawn Smyles, laughed and shook hands, encouraging the brawl. 'What made this unique is the video,' said Rivas Barillas' attorney, Jamal Tooson, who said his client suffered a broken nose and traumatic brain injury. 'The entire world got to witness the brutality that's taking place with our children at the hands of the Los Angeles County Probation Department.' The video, first reported by The Times, prompted a criminal investigation by the state attorney general's office, which later charged 30 probation officers — including Brooks and Smyles — with allowing and encouraging fights among teens inside county juvenile halls. California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta referred to the coordinated brawls as 'gladiator fights' and said his office's CCTV review had turned up 69 such fights during the chaotic first six months after the hall opened in July 2023. On Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to approve the $2.67-million settlement to Rivas Barillas and his mother, Heidi Barillas Lemus. According to a public summary of the 'corrective action plan' that the Probation Department must produce before a large settlement, officials failed to review CCTV video of the fight and waited too long to transport the teen to a hospital and notify his family. CCTV monitors are now 'staffed routinely,' and officials are working on conducting random audits of the recordings, according to the plan. A spokesperson for the Probation Department did not respond to a request for comment. Immediately after Rivas Barillas arrived at the Downey juvenile hall, Brooks demanded to know his gang affiliation, according to the claim filed with the county. Brooks said she had heard that Rivas Barillas, who is Latino, was from the 'Canoga' gang and that she 'hoped he could fight' before directing the other juveniles, all of whom were Black, to attack him in the day room, the claim stated. After the video made headlines, accounts of teens forced by probation officers to fight have trickled out of Los Padrinos. A teen told The Times in March that officers at Los Padrinos rewarded him with a fast-food 'bounty' — In-N-Out, Jack in the Box, McDonald's — if he beat up kids who misbehaved. The teenager, who had previously been housed in the same unit as Rivas Barillas, said staffers would also organize fights when someone arrived who was thought to be affiliated with a gang that didn't get along with the youths inside. 'We get a new kid, he's from the hood. We have other hoods in here. We're going to get all the fights out of the way,' he said at the time. 'They were just setting it up to control the situation.' Another teenager, identified in court filings as John (Lohjk) Doe, alleged in a lawsuit filed in February that soon after arriving at Los Padrinos in 2024, he was escorted by an officer to the day room. The officer, identified only by the surname Santos, told a youth inside the day room that 'you have eleven (11) seconds' and watched as the youth attacked Doe, according to the lawsuit. On another occasion, the same officer threatened to pepper-spray Doe if he didn't fight another youth for 20 seconds. The teens who fought were rewarded with extra television and more time out of their cells, the suit alleged. After the teen told a female officer about the two coordinated brawls, he was transferred to solitary confinement, the suit alleged. Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Yahoo
L.A. County probation officers seize illegal drugs, stolen vehicle during compliance checks
The Los Angeles County Probation Department says it recovered a significant quantity of illegal drugs and identified a stolen vehicle during a compliance operation conducted Thursday in Santa Clarita. Officers from the department's AB 109 Region Five Team conducted compliance checks in the area and seized the following from several people on active probation: 212 grams of heroin 284.5 grams of cocaine 25.4 grams of yellow cocaine 260.7 grams of fentanyl Approximately 35 pounds of marijuana Approximately 4 pounds of mushrooms Officers also located a Dodge Challenger reported stolen out of Bakersfield. The vehicle had license plates registered to a Kia, officials said. The suspect, previously convicted of sales and firearm possession, is now facing additional charges. 'This operation is a testament to our unwavering commitment to public safety and rehabilitation. By enforcing accountability, we not only disrupt criminal activity but also provide opportunities for individuals to rebuild their lives,' said L.A. County Probation Deputy Director Robert Arcos. The seizure of fentanyl is of heightened concern to local authorities, as the drug continues to be one of the deadliest substances throughout Los Angeles County. The department says it will continue to make efforts to remove it and other dangerous drugs from local communities through enforcement and oversight. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
