A group of inmates who refused to be locked in for the night sparked off a scuffle at Rikers Island that left 12 guards and three prisoners with minor injuries, jail officials said.
Department of Correction Deputy Commissioner Stephen Morello said the incident started at 11 p.m. Saturday when some inmates refused to go back to their cells. Additional staff were called to the scene.
Morello said those officers were assaulted when they arrived to help contain the melee at the George R. Vierno Center. After order was restored, 12 officers were taken to the hospital with mostly minor injuries. The most serious was a captain with cuts to his face and head that required stitches.
Three inmates were also treated for minor injuries consistent with punching and fighting.
This was not a prolonged, prolonged battle," sources told the New York Post. "Officers used defense holds and used defensive spray to get them handcuffed and back into their cells," the source said.
Charges are expected to be filed against inmates in the case, officials said.
