San Francisco jail inmates allegedly forced into ‘gladiator-style’ fights

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San Francisco jail inmates allegedly forced into ‘gladiator-style’ fights

County public defender asks the US Department of Justice to investigate claims of ‘sadistic’ treatment including threats of violence if inmates did not comply

Four sheriff’s deputies have been accused by three inmates of orchestrating the vicious fights, including one pitting a 150lb man against a 350lb man. Photograph: Charles O’Rear/Corbis

The Department of Justice has been asked to investigate after prison guards allegedly forced inmates to engage in gladiator-style fights for “sadistic pleasure” and betting, in scenes the authorities said evoked Game of Thrones.

An inmate at the San Francisco County jail who weighed 150lb was allegedly forced to fight a 350lb inmate, under threat of being beaten up and shot with a Taser by guards, Jeff Adachi, the San Francisco County public defender, said in a press conference on Thursday.

Four sheriff’s deputies have been accused by three inmates of orchestrating vicious fights for their own amusement while encouraging them with chants.

Adachi said the deputy who reportedly orchestrated the activities was accused in 2006 of sexually assaulting inmates, in a case that was later settled out of court.

“I can only describe this as an outrageously sadistic scenario that sounds like it’s out of Game of Thrones,” Adachi said.

All four sheriff’s deputies were put on administrative leave on Thursday, and the two inmates cited by Adachi were moved to different prisons.

A recording of the lighter-weight inmate, Rico Palikiko Garcia, was played by Adachi on Thursday, in which he described “deputies betting against me and forcing me to fight, and if I don’t fight then he’s basically telling me that he was going to beat me up, cuff me up, ‘Tase’ me all at once”….More Here

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