Four sheriff’s deputies at Men’s Central Jail were attacked Sunday by a group of inmates armed with a shank, according to Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department officials and two sources inside the agency.
There is no video footage of the incident because several hundred cameras in the facility were shut off for maintenance earlier that morning, according to an internal memo shared with The Times.
The violence broke out just after noon, when a deputy was escorting about a dozen men from the 2500 housing area to another part of the jail, the memo said.
When the deputy tried to pull aside one of the inmates, the man allegedly attacked him, the memo said. Three other inmates then joined in, punching the jailer and stomping his head until he fell unconscious.
The deputy was stabbed in the head and sustained a one-inch puncture wound that required staples, according to the memo and the two sources, who asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
Three other deputies rushed to his aid and ultimately stopped the attack, though they all were injured in the process.
Afterward, all four deputies were taken to a hospital, where they were treated and released, the department said. The inmates were also medically evaluated and remain in custody at Men’s Central Jail.
Officials later recovered a five-inch shank that was allegedly hidden in an inmate’s boxer shorts, the memo said.
Even though no one was killed, the Homicide Bureau is investigating the case. Under department policy, the bureau consults and determines investigative jurisdiction on any cases in which an on-duty deputy is injured badly enough to require hospital care.
Based on the severity of the deputy’s injuries, in this instance the bureau decided to retain the case and handle the investigation.
Men’s Central Jail, the scene of the attack, has a history of violence by both inmates and staff.
In 2023, The Times obtained several surveillance videos from inside the facility showing a long pattern of unchecked violence. One video dated 2019 showed a group of men punching and stabbing a fellow inmate for nearly 14 minutes before any staff showed up to intervene.
Other videos taken over the course of several years showed inmates attacking their jailers, or jailers using force on inmates, including controversial “head strikes” or punches to the head.
