latimes:

FBI probing reports of beatings in L.A. County jails: Federal agents sneaked a cellphone into Men’s Central Jail as part of their investigation of misconduct, sources say.

Federal authorities are investigating allegations of inmate beatings and other misconduct by deputies in Los Angeles County jails, with FBI agents going so far as to sneak a cellphone to an inmate to get reports from inside, according to law enforcement sources.

The inquiries include allegations that deputies broke an inmate’s jaw and other facial bones and beat another man for two minutes while he was unconscious.

Their investigation created a flap recently when Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department brass discovered that an inmate inside Men’s Central Jail was an FBI informant equipped with a cellphone he was believed to be using to communicate with agents on the outside.

Photo: Inmates wait in a section of Men’s Central Jail in downtown Los Angeles. Federal authorities are said to be investigating beatings of inmates there. Credit: Mel Melcon / Los Angeles Times