8 Prisoners Hurt in Brawl at Jail

Eight inmates were injured Sunday in a 29-person brawl at Peter J. Pitchess Honor Rancho over the use of the telephone, authorities said.

The fight came just six hours after another inmate was stabbed in the chest 13 times with a prison-made knife. Authorities said the two incidents were not related.

Two Latino inmates and two black inmates were leaving a dining hall at 5 p.m. and returning to their cells when they became involved in a fight over the telephones, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Rich Erickson said. Twenty-five other inmates joined the fight, which lasted about three minutes, Erickson said.

One inmate had a stab wound in the back of his left shoulder. He was treated at a local hospital and returned to the Castaic jail. Seven other inmates were treated for minor cuts, Erickson said.

In the first incident, at 11:10 a.m., two inmates were let out of their cells to take showers. For an unknown reason, inmate James Bailey, 24, attacked the other inmate, stabbing him 13 times, authorities said. The victim, who was not identified, was treated at a local hospital and returned to the jail in good condition, Erickson said.