NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A city correction officer was punched and slashed with a box cutter on Rikers Island this week, union officials said Thursday.
The officer was attacked at the George R. Vierno Center, one of the largest jails on Rikers, on Wednesday morning, according to the Correction Officers' Benevolent Association (COBA).
The union said the officer intervened as two inmates were arguing.
"After refusing to deescalate their confrontation, they turned on him and completely unprovoked, hit him with a closed fist and slashed him above the eye with a box cutter," the union tweeted.
BREAKING: Correction Officer Attacked at GRVC
— COBA (@NYCCOBA1) March 18, 2021
This officer pictured below was punched and slashed with a box cutter at the George R. Vierno Center, one of the largest jails on Rikers on Wednesday morning and was sent to Mt. Sinai hospital to get stitches. (1/4) pic.twitter.com/t1fKgqmI7s
According to the union, the inmates are members of the Bloods gang.
"Incidents like this happen weekly, as the jails are mostly comprised of various gang members," the union said.
The union also responded Thursday as the state Senate passed the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act, which lawmakers said would "limit the time an inmate can spent in segregated confinement, end the use of the practice for vulnerable people and create more humane and effective alternatives."
The Senate passed the bill two days after the Assembly approved it on Tuesday.
The bill now heads to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's desk. Even if Cuomo were to veto it, Democratic lawmakers have the power to override him.
COBA President Benny Boscio responded to the bill's passage Thursday, saying in a statement: "At a time when inmate assaults against New York City Correction Officers are up 23% and stabbings and slashings continue to rise, Albany legislators are voting for the HALT Bill today, which will prevent us from separating violent offenders from non-violent offenders. There is nothing humane about subjecting our brave men and women to brutal assaults that send them to the hospital every week to be treated for broken noses, broken eye sockets, and gashes across their limbs that often require many stitches. The Governor should put safety first and refuse to sign this reckless piece of legislation that is only going to further jeopardize the lives of our essential Correction Officers. Enough is enough!"
