Two staff members at the Cheltenham Youth Facility have been suspended after a Saturday night incident in which juveniles were herded out of a cottage in pajamas and slippers to an outdoor basketball court, where they watched at least two youths fight.

Lee Towers, a spokesman for the state Department of Juvenile Justice, said yesterday that the incident is under investigation by the state police and the agency's Office of Professional Responsibility.

Towers said investigators are interviewing all of the youths present during the fight, which occurred about 9:55 p.m. Saturday outside the Prince George's County facility's Henry Cottage.

"One youth stated he was taken out in bare feet," Towers said. The spokesman said he could not explain why the youths were taken out at night, adding that there was no reason to do so except in an emergency situation.

Among the questions being investigated, Towers said, was whether the fight pitted a Baltimore faction against a group from Prince George's.

Towers said the staff members made a note of an incident in the log but failed to complete the required report. He said they had been removed from the cottage and placed on administrative leave.

"This is an isolated incident," Towers said. "This doesn't happen on a regular basis at our facilities."

Last year, two staff members at the Victor Cullen Center in Frederick County were fired after an investigation into allegations that they ran a "Saturday Morning Fight Club" staging fights between youths.

The antiquated Cheltenham facility has long been a trouble spot in Maryland's juvenile justice system. Juvenile Justice Secretary Bishop L. Robinson had hoped to begin demolishing the institution in March, but delays in the construction of the department's new complex in Baltimore have postponed its closing until next year.

Last night, the mother of a Cheltenham detainee said her 17-year-old son had told her that Henry Cottage was crowded the night of the incident.

"It's supposed to house 40 kids and it's housing 72," said Daphne Patterson of Dundalk. "My son says he's sleeping on the floor. Why did they send him there if they didn't have space?"

Towers said youths in the cottages are not forced to sleep on the floor when beds are scarce. He said they use portable units called "stack-a-bunks." The spokesman said 56 youths were staying in Henry Cottage on Saturday night.

The department made no announcement of the incident. Towers said he was not informed about the matter until late yesterday, after a reporter called with inquiries. However, he defended the officials who did not bring it to his attention. "There was no effort to cover it up," he said.

Sun staff writer Jeff Barker contributed to this article.