On September 20, at 6:45 p.m., a 37-year-old male Department of Corrections inmate, being temporarily housed at the PCSO Adult Detention Center, was assaulted by a fellow DOC inmate in the E-Unit recreation area. The assault victim was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening head injuries. As of this morning, the victim is listed in critical condition.
The incident is under investigation by PCSO detectives after detention officers found an inmate lying unconscious on the cement floor of the closed-in recreation area of the E-Unit, which houses only inmates from the Kingman DOC facility. Upon finding the injured inmate, Detention staff initiated a lock-down, returning all other inmates of the unit to their individual cells. Officers asked inmates what happened, but they all denied any knowledge of what happened.
PCSO Detention staff reviewed surveillance video of the incident and saw that just prior to the assault; the victim was playing basketball with other inmates. At one point, the victim was pushed to the ground by an inmate later identified as Michael Favela, a 40-years-old DoC inmate.
Sheriff Paul Babeu said, “The video clearly shows inmate Favela pushing the victim to the floor and hitting him multiple times in the head until the victim fell to the concrete floor. The victim then got up, walked about 30 feet across the floor and collapsed again.” Sheriff Paul Babeu went on to say, “This is the first violent incident we have had with the Kingman DoC inmates and it appears to be an insolated incident.”
The victim-inmate was immediately transported to a local hospital for emergency treatment. He remains in critical condition with life-threatening head injuries. The suspect was placed in a segregation cell where he remains during the course of the investigation. Favela was originally sentenced to DOC for Kidnapping and Aggravated Robbery. He faces new charges of Aggravated Assault stemming from the incident.