Three inmates injured six officers at Five Points Correctional Facility in Romulus, sending two to a local hospital when they charged staff during a pat frisk for contraband just outside the mess hall during the morning meal at the maximum security correctional facility.
The New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association released the following information about the September 22 incident. During breakfast in the mess hall, one inmate allegedly refused to take his seat. After refusing staff orders several times, the inmate was ordered to submit to a pat frisk in the corridor outside the mess hall. He initially complied but then came off the wall in a threatening manner. Officers grabbed him in a body hold and were struggling with him when two other inmates allegedly charged at them from inside the mess hall. One inmate, armed with a cane, struck a sergeant in the arm with the weapon. The three inmates began to assault staff as a response was called. Officers used OC spray with no effect. Staff were able to force one inmate to the floor and apply handcuffs. One of the inmates who initially charged staff, grabbed one officer, while the melee continued, around the waist while and punched that officer in the back of the head and placed him in a chokehold.
The two inmates continued to be combative and it took several officers to utilize force to get the inmate to release the choke hold. Once both inmates were under control, they were placed in handcuffs and escorted out of the corridor to be decontaminated. After being decontaminated, the inmates were escorted to a holding cell. During the escort into the holding cell, one inmate assaulted staff again but was quickly subdued.
Two officers were treated at the facility for knee, back, and hand injuries and were transported to Geneva General Hospital for further treatment. Four officers were treated by medical staff at the facility for neck, shoulder, hand, wrist, knee, and hip injuries. They remained on duty.
The three inmates were placed in Special Housing Units pending disciplinary charges. The inmate armed with the cane is currently serving a 57 years to life sentence after being convicted of Murder 2nd and Attempted Murder 2nd in Bronx County. In 2020 he stabbed his father and ex-girlfriend to death and critically injured his brother. In the murder of his ex-girlfriend, he stabbed her 47 times.
The latest assault on staff follows a troubling pattern of incidents at Five Points in the past five months. Since May of this year, 50 officers and two sergeants have been injured during a variety of incidents that involved inmates attacking staff. Four of those officers needed treatment at local hospitals for their injuries.
During that same time period, ten officers have had urine or feces thrown on them by inmates from their cells. In addition, staff have responded to five incidents in which inmates have tied bedsheets around their necks tied to cell doors in their cells in a ruse to get staff to enter so they could attack them.
Officers also recovered several weapons and five pieces of braided bed sheets in two cell searches that clearly had the intent of being used for an escape attempt.
“The number of incidents at Five Points in the past five months is staggering. Already short-staffed and pushed to the brink with mandatory overtime, many of those officers sustained injuries that kept them out of work for multiple days, further pushing staff to the edge. This is not only occurring at Five Points, it is occurring in all prisons across the state. We have said it time and time again, this is a system that is unsustainable and our members are suffering as a result. Not even in some of the most violent cities across this country are our brave men and women in police departments subjected to this type of violence and lack of support from elected officials. All we receive is silence from the Governor on down and our members deserve better than this, she has a duty to protect us and is failing her employees!”-stated Kenny Gold, Western Region Vice President
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
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