Four correction officers at Rikers Island were sent to the hospital after getting attacked by an inmate, union officials said Saturday.
The incident began around 5 p.m. Friday after one of the officers let the inmate out of his cell, officials said. That's when the inmate allegedly assaulted the officer in "an unprovoked attack," punching the the officer and giving him a broken nose.
A spokesperson for the NYC Corrections Department confirmed the assault, which took place at the Otis Bantum Correction Center on Rikers Island.
Three other officers responded and were injured in the scuffle with the inmate. Their union said their injuries included a broken finger and sprained wrists.
"This incident is just one of the countless assaults on our Correction Officers that have occurred recently," Benny Boscio Jr., president of the officers' union, said in a statement.
The union says assaults are up 15 percent this year against correction officers.
All four officers were taken to Mt. Sinai Hospital and released a short-time later.
