Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall remains on lockdown as a result of a significant disturbance involving 13 youths on Friday night. However, Los Angeles County probation officials have taken additional security measures to ensure the safety of the facility.
During the brawl with detention staff members, one juvenile inmate managed to briefly escape the Downey facility. Fortunately, the inmate was quickly apprehended by officers from the Probation Department’s Special Enforcement Operations unit. Since the inmate is 18 years old, the Department has requested the LA County Sheriff’s Department to book him as an adult.
Following the incident, the remaining 12 youths have been placed in individual rooms at Los Padrinos and are under one-on-one supervision. Thankfully, there were no serious injuries to the youth or staff members during the disturbance, and a headcount confirmed that all 273 youth at the facility were present and accounted for.
In response to the incident, Interim Probation Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa has implemented new measures. A department bureau chief, one of the highest-ranking officers, will now be present to supervise operations during every shift at Los Padrinos. Additionally, all permanent staff will temporarily be issued OC spray until the facility is fully stabilized.
Viera Rosa commented on the situation, stating, “Any time you move a large number of youths to a new facility, there is a potential for problems and we plan for those. But Friday night’s disturbance was an emergency that required an immediate and strong response. I’m thankful that no youth were seriously hurt, and with the help of other law enforcement agencies, we were able to reestablish order.”
The incident began around 8 p.m. when seven youths assaulted staff and broke open an exterior door. They also broke the window of another unit, allowing six more youths to join them on the facility grounds. The oldest youth managed to escape onto a nearby golf course but was apprehended shortly after by law enforcement.
Multiple law enforcement agencies responded to the incident, including the Downey Police Department, Downey Fire Department, South Gate Police Department, and deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff Department’s Lakewood station.
In an effort to stabilize operations, Viera Rosa has requested the assistance of Michael Minor, a private security consultant and former director of the California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation’s Division of Juvenile Justice.
County Supervisor Janice Hahn expressed her gratitude to the law enforcement officers and emphasized the need to understand the details of the incident. She expects the interim Chief Probation Officer to investigate the situation thoroughly and provide reassurances to the Board of Supervisors and the City of Downey to prevent similar incidents from happening again.
Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall recently reopened and has been housing 274 pre-disposition youths from Barry J. Nidorf Juvenile Hall and Central Juvenile Hall transferred to the facility’s 26-acre campus in Downey.
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