NYC Correction Officer's Skull Cracked By Rikers Island Inmate

NEW YORK CITY — A New York City correction officer is recovering from his injuries after a Rikers Island inmate violently attacked him Monday morning, according to the city's Department of Correction.

Officials said the officer, whose name has not been released, suffered a fractured skull, fractured nose and other injuries stemming from the attack. He was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.

“Any assault on our staff is deplorable and absolutely unacceptable. We will work with the Bronx DA to hold the individual responsible accountable," a Department of Correction spokesperson told Patch in a statement.

The inmate accused in the attack has been charged with first-degree attempted murder. Multiple news outlets have identified him as 29-year-old Mavens Thomas. DOC officials said they're working with the Bronx District Attorney's Office to further investigate the incident.

Sources told the Daily News that Thomas, who is 6-foot-3 and weighs 253 pounds, was reportedly angry that the officer insisted on using a flashlight to search his darkened cell.

The officer attack occurred on the same day an inmate died of an apparent suicide. The inmate has since been identified as 58-year-old Segundo Guallpa.

The Brooklyn Defender Services, The Bronx Defenders, The Legal Aid Society, Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, New York County Defender Services, and Queens Defenders issued the following statement after learning of Guallpa’s death:

“Mr. Guallpa’s death in DOC custody is a tragedy, and we are deeply saddened by the loss of his life. Mr. Guallpa was at least the ninth person to pass away at Rikers Island this year, as the jail population grows to levels not seen since before the pandemic and jail conditions create an unconscionable humanitarian crisis. To protect the health, safety, and lives of those incarcerated in city jails, we urge our elected officials, judges, and prosecutors to take swift action to remove people from this life-threatening environment. The escalating spread of COVID-19 in the jails, a mass wave of staff absenteeism, persistent mismanagement, and a toxic staff culture have created an extremely dangerous situation in which incarcerated people do not have basic levels of healthcare, safety and security. We demand that our elected leaders address this crisis; ask prosecutors and judges to use their discretion to reduce the number of people sent to jail and release people currently held in the city jails; and urge the DOC to use its power to release people currently held in city jails and to treat those who remain in custody with basic human dignity. New York City must take decisive action to reduce the jail population and prevent further suffering, before yet another life is lost.”

Conditions at Rikers have long been controversial. Both inmate advocates and corrections officers acknowledge them, but often ascribe blame differently.

Correction Officers' Benevolent Association, Inc. (COBA) President Benny Boscio said the correction officer in the assault case was simply trying to do his job when he was nearly killed. He pointed the finger at Mayor Bill de Blasio for failing to keep prison guards safe.

“The blood that shed from his wounds and the wounds of all of our brave officer, who continue to be assaulted with impunity, are on the mayor’s hands. He alone has the power to make our jails safer and his unwillingness to do so makes him criminally negligent for creating the conditions we face daily,” Boscio said in a statement.

The latest officer attack is just one of many to take place at NYC's notorious prison. About two weeks ago, more than 200 jail guards and their supporters gathered at the entrance to Rikers Island to demand better working conditions inside the city’s notorious prison.

"We're working 25-plus hours straight, no meal breaks, the conditions of having gang members in the same housing areas – gang affiliated housing – we're being assaulted with impunity," Boscio recently told FOX News.

During the past year, COBA, the union that represents NYC correction officers, said it has been vigorously fighting to have swift indictments and consecutive sentences for inmates who assault our officers.

On Aug. 26. Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced that seven inmates on Rikers Island had been indicted for first-degree assault, first-degree gang assault and other charges for beating and pouring scalding water on another inmate. The case is one of 37 indictments brought since the grand jury re-convened last winter charging brutal attacks in the jail spanning the past six months.

“These defendants allegedly have caused numerous acts of violence on both their fellow detainees and correction officers. One particularly cruel act was seven inmates allegedly overwhelmed an officer, then stomped and punched another detainee," Clark said in a news release. "One defendant allegedly poured boiling water on the victim, causing skin on his face, head and arms to burn away. Fortunately, he survived and is recovering."

“We are holding violent people accountable for beatings, slashings and rape. No one who is
at Rikers Island should be subject to such degradation, harm and fear. But we cannot prosecute our way out of this," Clark continued.

The Bronx District Attorney's Office has also called for adequate staff to ensure safety at the prison and vowed to continue working with the Department of Correction to address the violence.

Over the last two years, COBA said 1,000 NYC correction officers have resigned due to mismanagement at the top. The union said it desperately seeks to alleviate the problems plaguing the prison at Rikers Island so no one else has to die or suffer serious injuries.