Guard Attacked By Inmate At Sing Sing Hospitalized With Broken Foot

OSSINING, NY — A prison guard was taken to the hospital after an assault inside Sing Sing Correctional Facility.

The officer got a broken foot and other injuries earlier this week after an inmate attacked him in the stairwell of the maximum-security Sing Sing Correctional Facility on Monday, according to prison officials.

"Another serious assault at Sing Sing that resulted in another officer sustaining a significant injury that will keep him out of work for months," David Luther, NYSCOPBA Southern Region Vice President, said. "This latest attack comes on the heels of an officer getting slashed in the face by an inmate at the prison. The inmate in the latest attack is scheduled for conditional release in six months. I would strongly encourage the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office to send a strong message and prosecute this inmate for felony assault. Successful prosecution that results in longer sentences for violent inmates who attack staff is literally the last line of defense we have to keep them safe and deter inmates from future attacks. Not every situation warrants it or is feasible to prosecute, but this attack certainly does."

At 10:38 a.m. on Monday, while inmates were returning from morning recreation and heading back to their cells, one inmate was reportedly yelling in the stairway between two cell blocks. When an officer ordered the inmate to continue to his cell, the inmate refused. The officer approached the inmate and gave him another order to return to his cell, according to the prison. The inmate then punched the officer in the face and grabbed the officer’s jacket and threw him down the stairs, union officials said. The inmate then reportedly got on top of the officer and continued to attack him.

A second officer responded and placed the inmate in a body hold and pulled him off the injured officer. However, the inmate was able to break free from the body hold and lunged towards the injured officer, correctional officials said.

After a call for assistance was placed and additional staff responded to the stairwell, the inmate was still combative, prison officials said. The inmate was placed in another body hold and his arms were forced behind his back. Once handcuffs were on, the inmate became compliant.

The injured officer was taken by ambulance to Westchester Medical Center and treated for knee, ankle, and facial injuries. X-rays indicated a broken bone in his left foot.

Two officers who responded to the attack received wrist, hip, back and neck injuries while subduing the inmate. They were treated by Sing Sing medical staff and were able to remain on duty.

The 32-year-old inmate was transferred to Coxsackie Correctional Facility after the incident. He is serving a two-to-four-year sentence after being convicted in Manhattan in 2023 for third degree criminal possession of a weapon.