Inmate Stops Female Officer Attacked by ‘Intoxicated’ Inmate

An inmate saved a female officer who was being attacked inside a housing unit office at a local prison.

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On Sunday, Jan. 31 around 5 a.m., a female officer was inside one of the housing unit offices at the Fishkill Correctional Facility when she heard an inmate screaming. The officer exited the office and saw an inmate running towards her screaming “knife”. The officer ordered the inmate to stop but he refused and kept on running towards her, officials say.

The unnamed inmate grabbed the officer by her uniform shirt and pushed her backward into the office and barricaded the door, according to the NYSCOPBA. As the inmate continued the attack, the officer was able to call for help.

Another unnamed inmate, who was in the bathroom at the time and heard the attack, pushed his way into the office and pulled the inmate off the officer and out of the office, official say. Additional officers responded to the scene and handcuffed the inmate and removed him from the area.

The inmate, 28, who's accused of attacking the officer is serving a seven-year sentence after being convicted in Queens County on two counts of burglary one count of criminal possession of a weapon. The inmate faces disciplinary charges and was placed in a Special Housing Unit.

The officer sustained scratches and redness to her chest, officials say. She was treated by facility medical staff and remained on duty.
“Far too often we are reporting attacks on staff at the hands of inmates. In this latest attack, because of staffing shortages and our membership already stretched too thin at prisons, another inmate was needed to help stop the attack on the officer before additional staff arrived. There was an indication the inmate who attacked the officer was intoxicated on an unknown substance and the attack could have continued if the inmate had not intervened. While we are thankful that he took it upon himself to help the officer, if DOCCS would keep staffing was at adequate levels instead of focusing on closing more prisons, the attack might have been averted in the first place,"

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