More than 20 are hurt at Castaic complex. Racial violence spreads to a downtown facility.

By Megan Garvey and David Pierson, Times Staff Writers


Nearly 500 inmates fought Wednesday in racially charged melees at Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic, marking a fifth day of violence in the Los Angeles County jail system and underscoring officials' inability to stop unrest tied to street conflicts between Latino and black gangs.

The toll in recent days has been high: one dead, at least 28 hospitalized and nearly 90 injured in rioting in the nation's largest jail system.

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