Six Orange County sheriff's employees have been put on administrative leave following an incident with an inmate at the Theo Lacy jail in Orange last month, a spokeswoman for the sheriff confirmed Monday.
An Orange County sheriff's deputy applied a "frontal C clamp," which is an unapproved chokehold on an inmate, who passed out three times, a source told City News Service.
As the inmate was being led back to his cell, the deputy allegedly jokingly said, "And the Academy Award goes to..." to imply the inmate was faking unconsciousness, the source said.
"We received a complaint regarding an inmate at the Theo Lacy Facility and began an immediate investigation,'' said Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff's Department, who could not provide further details of the incident.
Six employees, not all of whom are deputies, have been placed on administrative leave during an internal investigation, Braun said.
The incident happened in early September, and the employees were put on leave Oct. 7, Braun said.
