Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced the department had determined a group of inmates at the Pitchess Detention Center in Castaic had deliberately attempted to infect themselves with COVID-19 during his weekly virtual press conference on Monday.

The department released footage captured by the facility’s video surveillance equipment which shows multiple men sharing from a single bottle of hot water.

Sheriff’s officials contend the men had two goals in their action: to spread the potential of infection, and to artificially increase their oral temperature before having their temperature taken by a nurse.

“Somehow there was some mistaken belief among the inmate population that if they tested positive that there was a way to force our hand and somehow release more inmates out of our jail environment, and that’s not going to happen,” Villanueva said. “We’ve done everything within our power to reduce or prevent the spread of COVID-19 within our jail system.”

The footage goes on to show a similar sharing of a cup of hot water between inmates.

Related: Pitchess Detention Center In Castaic Experiences COVID-19 Outbreak

All of the recorded incidents took place in one of the facilities “day rooms,” which are common areas for the inmates.

In addition to sharing beverages, one inmate is seen holding up what appears to be a cloth face-covering in front of several other inmates’ faces.

Each inhaled deeply when the covering was presented to them in an apparent effort to spread the infection.

Beyond these direct attempts to increase the number of infected, inmates also appear to ignore social distancing guidelines despite adequate space to follow them in the day rooms.

Related: Val Verde COVID-19 Case Count Corrected By Public Health After Pitchess Cases Misidentified

Within a week of the events shown in the video, 21 men tested positive for COVID-19, according to Sheriff’s officials.

As of Monday, 4,590 inmates have been quarantined within the Los Angeles County jail system and 317 were isolated. 

The jail system has had a total of 222 positives with 117 having recovered and 18 released from custody after testing positive for COVID-19, but prior to meeting CDC standards for being considered fully recovered, according to Sheriff’s officials.

The inmate cases at Pitchess were previously listed under Val Verde by the Department of Public Health.

The Pitchess cases were later moved from Val Verde to Castaic in the County’s tally of COVID-19 cases.

KHTS FM 98.1 and AM 1220 is Santa Clarita’s only local radio station. KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, and features along with your favorite adult contemporary hits. Santa Clarita news and features are delivered throughout the day over our airwaves, on our website and through a variety of social media platforms. Our KHTS national award-winning daily news briefs are now read daily by 34,000+ residents. A vibrant member of the Santa Clarita community, the KHTS broadcast signal reaches all of the Santa Clarita Valley and parts of the high desert communities located in the Antelope Valley. The station streams its talk shows over the web, reaching a potentially worldwide audience. Follow @KHTSRadio on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.