Five correction officers were injured during an attack involving an inmate at Auburn Correctional Facility earlier this month, according to the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association.
The union says the incident happened on March 2, when an officer monitoring inmate movement was punched by a 49-year-old inmate who had been released from his cell for the evening meal.
According to the union, the inmate then stabbed an officer once in the upper left arm and twice in the upper back with a sharpened piece of metal that had a taped handle. After the attack, the inmate ran down a cell block before lying on the floor when an emergency response was initiated.
Officers were able to handcuff and escort the inmate from the cell block. However, the union says he became combative during the escort, kicking officers and striking one in the knee until leg restraints were applied. The inmate continued resisting as officers placed him on a stretcher to take him to the facility’s frisk room.
While being searched for contraband, the inmate reportedly reached toward his waistband, prompting officers to restrain and handcuff him again. He was later taken to the prison infirmary for medical evaluation before being scheduled for transfer to Five Points Correctional Facility.
Medical staff treated five officers following the incident. Four officers suffered injuries to the knee, shoulder, hand, and thumb, but remained on duty. The officer who was stabbed was taken to Auburn Community Hospital with puncture wounds to the arm and back, injured ribs, and a swollen jaw.
The weapon used in the attack was recovered by staff, according to the union.
The inmate was convicted in 2013 in Westchester County of first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and third-degree criminal possession of a weapon. He is currently serving a sentence of 20 years to life in prison.
Following the incident, NYSCOPBA Western Region Vice President Kenny Gold said the stabbed officer is expected to recover physically but said the attack highlights ongoing safety concerns inside state prisons. Gold also renewed calls for changes to New York’s HALT Act, which regulates the use of solitary confinement in correctional facilities.
