Four staffers of the federal Metropolitan Detention Center downtown were injured after a fight broke out among 10 inmates Wednesday night, authorities reported. Two of the victims were hospitalized for non-life-threatening injuries.

Violence broke out about 7:10 p.m. in a housing unit at the facility, which houses a total of about 1.029 inmates, said MDC case management coordinator Steve Gagliardi. “The situation was immediately contained by responding staff,'' he said.

However, television reports showed that roadways near the facility had been cordoned off by police as officers responded to the situation at Alameda and Aliso streets. It appeared to be a major response.

The fighting came on a day when the American Civil Liberties Union called a nearby county facility, the Men's Central Jail, a “medieval dungeon” that should be closed down or drastically downsized.

-With reporting from City News Service.

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