A second violent incident involving corrections officers at Five Points Correctional Facility has been reported, just weeks after four officers were hospitalized due to exposure to an unknown substance during a separate inmate altercation.
According to details released April 21, a sergeant and three officers were injured on March 29 when a 28-year-old inmate armed with a sharpened toothbrush violently resisted a frisk at the maximum-security prison in Romulus, New York. The attack occurred during a routine security check as inmates were being processed through a metal detector. A sergeant observed an object protruding from the inmate’s pocket and ordered a pat frisk. The inmate refused, attempted to flee, and then engaged in a violent struggle with staff.
While trying to subdue him, officers were struck multiple times in the head and face. The inmate continued to resist on the ground, grabbing the sergeant’s shirt and reaching for the weapon. Officers eventually restrained him and applied handcuffs. During the escort out of the housing unit, he attempted to spit on staff until a spit net was applied. A six-inch-long sharpened toothbrush was recovered from the scene and placed into evidence.
The inmate, who is currently serving a 12-year sentence for robbery and assault convictions from Erie County in 2019, was placed in a Special Housing Unit pending disciplinary charges. The sergeant involved sustained knee injuries, while the three officers were treated for a variety of injuries including facial, head, wrist, and shoulder trauma. One officer required additional care at Cayuga Medical Center.
This violent altercation follows a separate incident at the facility that occurred on April 4 and was previously reported. In that case, a 26-year-old inmate who had just returned from the mental health unit told an officer he was suicidal and then barricaded himself in his cell using a blanket to cover the window. When staff entered the cell, the inmate attacked, striking one officer with a punch to the head and resisting efforts to restrain him. During the struggle, officers used a plastic shield and body holds to subdue him. He continued fighting even as leg restraints and handcuffs were applied, and later tried to bite officers during transport.
After being evaluated by medical staff, he was transferred back to the mental health unit. The inmate is serving a 10-year sentence for a 2016 robbery conviction in Oneida County.
All four officers involved in that incident experienced concerning symptoms shortly after the altercation, including nausea, vomiting, and blurred vision. Narcan was administered but had no visible effect, and all four were transported to Geneva General Hospital for further treatment. No contraband was found in the inmate’s cell, and the exact substance to which the officers were exposed remains unknown.
Kenny Gold, NYSCOPBA Western Region Vice President, expressed frustration over the recurring issue of substance exposure in New York prisons. “It is frightening to know that when officers have contact with inmates, they start vomiting with blurred vision and even losing consciousness,” Gold said. “Stopping the drugs from coming into the facilities should be the top priority before someone loses their life.”
The incidents have raised renewed concerns about officer safety and the presence of dangerous contraband within correctional facilities. Investigations into both events are ongoing.
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