Security boosted following Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall riot

The lockdown was lifted Saturday evening at Los Padrinos Juvenile Hall in Downey amidst additional security measures initiated by Los Angeles County probation officials the day after a major disturbance at the facility involving 13 youths.

Lifting the lockdown will enable limited movement of youth for meals, schooling and recreational activities at the pre-disposition youth facility, Interim Probation Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa said.

Visiting hours were cancelled Saturday and probation staff notified most family and caregivers in advance, he said. Those who showed up at the facility were allowed to call their loved ones from the Los Padrinos reception area.

The resident who escaped from the Downey facility during a 13-person fight was apprehended and returned a short time later.

Interim Probation Chief Guillermo Viera Rosa has ordered that beginning immediately, a department bureau chief -- among the highest-ranking officers in the department -- be present to supervise operations during every shift at Los Padrinos.

He has also ordered that OC spray be temporarily issued to all permanent staff until the facility is fully stabilized, a decision he will
revisit in a few days.   

Around 8 p.m. Friday, seven youths assaulted staff and broke open an exterior door of their living unit. They allegedly broke the window of a second unit, allowing six others to join them on the facility grounds. The oldest youth climbed a wall and escaped onto an adjacent golf course, where he was immediately apprehended, officials said.

The incident drew a multiagency response from the Downey Police Department, Downey Fire Department, the South Gate Police Department, and deputies from the Lakewood Sheriff's Station. 

A spokesperson with the Los Angeles County Probation Department said the resident who escaped is 18 years old, the Department asked the LA County Sheriff's Department to book him as an adult.

The remaining 12 youths have been placed in individual rooms at Los Padrinos under one-on-one supervision.

There were no serious injuries to youth or staff, and all who were impacted were medically evaluated, according to the probation department spokesperson. 

Viera Rosa also asked Michael Minor, a private security consultant and former director of the California Department of Correction and
Rehabilitation's Division of Juvenile Justice, to work with staff members as they stabilize operations.