Union: 2 officers hospitalized after assault at Coxsackie

COXSACKIE―Two officers were hospitalized and several others were treated for injuries following an assault by an inmate, according to the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA).

It happened in the mess hall of the maximum-security Coxsackie Correctional Facility on Monday, March 30, the union reported.

The inmate was identified by the union as a 48-year-old convicted murderer who is serving 15 years to life.

According to NYSCOPBA, a female officer was walking by the inmate when “he suddenly approached her from behind, brandishing an object, and began making stabbing motions toward her face. He then punched her in the face, knocking her to the ground.”

Another officer responded and was also punched multiple times by the inmate.

“A third officer arrived and used his baton to push it against the inmate’s chest. Despite this, the inmate punched the officer in the face before being forced to the mess hall wall. Two additional officers arrived and assisted in bringing the inmate to the floor. While on the floor, the inmate placed his arms underneath his body and refused to comply with orders to place his hands behind his back, continuing to resist. The officers eventually succeeded in forcing his arms out and applied handcuffs. He was then brought to his feet and escorted out of the mess hall,” NYSCOPBA reported, noting that additional staff was needed to bring the “non-compliant inmate” to the medical unit.

The female officer sustained a laceration to her forehead and nose. The initial officer who responded suffered a contusion to his head, a laceration to his lips and head, a broken nose, a broken pinky, and a concussion, according to the union. Both officers were transported to Albany Medical Center for further treatment.

Several other officers who assisted in subduing the inmate sustained injuries to their feet, knees, backs, necks, hips, groins, and wrists, the union reported. They were treated at the facility and remained on duty.

A broken pen, believed to have been used in the attack, was recovered near the scene, according to NYSCOPBA.

The inmate was convicted in 2018 in Bronx County for the brutal beating death of his aunt in 2016. At the time of the murder, his aunt, a retired nurse, had taken the recent parolee into her home to live with her.

“The viciousness of this attack cannot be overstated. One officer was stabbed, a second sustained a broken nose and concussion, and several others were injured while responding to this brutal assault—all at the hands of one inmate,” said Joe Horacek, NYSCOPBA Mid-Hudson Region Vice President.

According to Horacek, the assault is “a glaring example of the failure” of the HALT Act that limits the length of time an incarcerated individual can spend in segregated confinement. The state law, in place since 2022, was one of several reasons that thousands of officers walked off the job during last year’s wildcat strike.

“This paints a clear picture of the workplace environment our members face daily. The inmate, a four-time felon who brutally murdered his elderly aunt, is eligible for parole in just five years. It is incomprehensible that such an individual should ever be allowed back into society,” said Horacek.