Los Angeles, California – Los Angeles County has agreed to pay $2.7 million to a teenager who was brutally assaulted by a group of other youths while detained at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall, in a beating allegedly orchestrated and encouraged by probation officers. The payment, announced Monday, is part of a broader reckoning with a juvenile justice system under fire for systemic abuse, neglect, and failures in oversight.
The boy, who was 16 at the time of the 2023 attack, was one of more than 140 minors identified as victims of what prosecutors have called a campaign of “gladiator fights” staged by correctional officers. Surveillance footage of his beating shows at least six other youths attacking him in sequence while multiple officers stand by—some even appearing to greet participants with handshakes.
The assault came to public attention after the Los Angeles Times published the video. During a subsequent court hearing, a public defender argued for the teen’s release, citing the risk to his safety if he remained in custody. He is now 17…