INMATE BLAMES L.A. COUNTY FOR RIOT INJURY.

Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer

A Los Angeles County Jail inmate filed a claim Monday saying his throat was cut during recent race riots because sheriff's deputies failed to segregate Latino and black inmates in his unit.

The claim by Juan Jose Aragon is the first in a large number expected to be filed by inmates injured in the February riots. In recent meetings, the Board of Supervisors has expressed concerns that many inmates could sue the county, costing taxpayers millions of dollars.

Aragon could not be reached for comment. A claim is normally filed prior to a lawsuit.

In his claim, Aragon, 34, alleges that deputies segregated other units, but failed to segregate his after the riots at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic. He maintains that his throat was cut during a riot that broke out as he slept.

Aragon had been arrested in January by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on unspecified felony charges, officials said.

Sheriff's Correctional Services Division Chief Marc Klugman said he hadn't seen the claim, but said the Sheriff's Department does not operate a segregated jail system.

``What we did was segregate those individuals that were involved in the initial rioting,'' Klugman said. ``If more rioting occurred, and it appeared additional segregation was required, that's what we did.

``But segregation is a bad option. It creates more problems than it resolves and that's why we quickly as possible reintegrated the entire population.''

Since the rioting that left two inmates dead and more than 150 injured, Klugman said he has embarked on a plan to fix long-standing problems in the jails by moving female inmates out of the Twin Towers Correctional Facility so high-security male inmates can be incarcerated there.

``We're on track to do the things we planned and are hopeful that will alleviate most of the future problems,'' he said.

Troy Anderson, [phone]

troy.anderson(at)dailynews.com