Race Riot in California Jail Kills One, Wounds Twenty

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Race Riot in California Jail Kills One, Wounds Twenty

James Joyner | Monday, February 6, 2006

A race riot involving nearly 2000 black and Hispanic inmates has resulted in the death of one prisoner and injuries to another twenty.

Nearly 2,000 inmates rioted at a Southern California jail, throwing mattresses and banging heads against bunk beds, in an uproar that officials said stemmed from racial tensions. One inmate was killed.

More than 100 inmates were wounded and 20 were hospitalized with serious injuries from the nearly hour-long melee on Saturday, authorities said. Smaller fights broke out for at least four hours after the main brawling ended. “The motivation appears to be racial tensions and a carry-over of a feud between black and Hispanic gangs,” said Deputy Steve Suzuki, a sheriff’s spokesman. Two days earlier, a Hispanic gang member was stabbed by a black gang member, he said.

Black and Hispanic inmates were being segregated and a lockdown was ordered systemwide, Sheriff Lee Baca said. Authorities had information that a disturbance was imminent, but they didn’t know the time or location, said Sam Jones, chief custody officer of the county jail system.

A 45-year-old black inmate who was a registered sex offender was killed, Suzuki said. Twenty-six wounded inmates were treated at the jail; the 20 hospitalized inmates did not have life threatening injuries. No jail employees were injured.

Lovely. One wonders if there were any cartoons involved?

Originally “posted” yesterday afternoon but stuck in draft queue owing to technical issues.

About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.

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