Brutal Attacks on Correctional Officers at Rikers Island

On Wednesday, two correctional officers were violently attacked over a period of four hours at Rikers Island, with one officer being slashed by a weapon known as the Subway knife, according to union representatives.

The officer, who has been on the job for 11 years, was attacked by 24-year-old Shemar Shaw, a suspected member of the Crips gang. This occurred around 9:30 a.m. in the Otis Bantam Correctional Center, shortly after the officer reported a misplaced tablet.

“When he ran up behind me, I felt him grab the back of my head and slash my face,” said the officer, who preferred to remain anonymous.

He described the pain as feeling like “sandpaper” being dragged across his skin, noting that the weapon appeared to be a sharp piece of metal.

Shaw is currently being held at Rikers on charges of punching and stabbing a 29-year-old man following an altercation on a train at Rockefeller Center back in February, according to police and prosecutors.

“He understands that attacking a police officer here has little consequence for him because, well, there are laws in society,” the injured officer remarked about Shaw’s previous offenses.

Following the initial incident, the officer was hospitalized.

A few hours later, while the facility was still under lockdown, another inmate, Malik Cooke, who is linked to the Bloods gang, allegedly threw a burning rag at the injured officer, as reported by the Prison Officers Benevolent Association (COBA).

COBA stated that Cooke manipulated a cell door to escape around 2:50 p.m., ignited a cloth, and threw it at a 48-year-old female officer. While she suffered from smoke inhalation, thankfully, she did not sustain serious burns.

Records indicate that Cooke was incarcerated on a second-degree theft charge and had previously violated a protection order in East Harlem.

The first officer involved noted this was the fourth time he had been assaulted by an inmate but the first instance of being slashed.

“It’s definitely frightening,” he shared. “This could have happened to anyone, and it has in the past… I now understand their pain more than ever.”

He urged the city council to implement reforms that would enhance the safety of correctional officers, fearing that violent inmates feel increasingly “emboldened.”

“We want to make this job safer. I hope some legislation will be enacted,” he added, expressing a desire for a more secure working environment.

COBA President Benny Bossio strongly condemned the violence. “This unprovoked attack on a correctional officer doing his job is not an isolated incident,” he stated. “In the past year, nearly 600 prison officers have been assaulted.”

As of now, the city Department of Corrections has not provided any comments regarding the situation.