An investigation is underway after a Mid-State Correctional Facility inmate attacked two correctional officers during a hospital transport in Oneida County.
The assault happened shortly after midnight February 3 at Wynn Hospital in Marcy, where a 30-year-old inmate had been taken for minor surgery. According to state corrections officials, the inmate had just been discharged and was being prepared for transport back to the facility.
Officials said a sergeant was overseeing the transport, which involved two officers. The inmate was seated in a chair and restrained with handcuffs, a waist chain, and a black restraint box. As one officer left the room to retrieve the transport van, the inmate suddenly jumped up and struck the sergeant in the face with the restraints.
The inmate then turned toward the second officer, striking him with the waist chain before fleeing the hospital room. The officer chased the inmate into the hallway, where officials said the inmate continued to threaten both officers and refused repeated orders to stop.
The sergeant attempted to regain control by grabbing the inmate’s knees and forcing him to the ground. During the struggle, the sergeant was struck in the back of the head with the waist chain. With assistance from the officer, the inmate was brought back into the hospital room, where he continued swinging the waist chain and struck the officer in the head.
Hospital staff responded with a wheelchair, and officials said the inmate was eventually secured, placed in the transport van, and returned to Mid-State Correctional Facility.
The sergeant suffered a contusion to the back of his head, along with shoulder and neck injuries. The officer sustained injuries to his hand, shoulder, and elbow. Both were treated by medical staff at the prison and remained on duty, according to the release.
Officials said the inmate is serving an 11- to 13-year sentence following a 2023 Monroe County conviction for first-degree robbery and second-degree assault. The release also notes the inmate had a prior 2015 arrest for second-degree kidnapping and fourth-degree grand larceny after stealing a car with a five-year-old child inside. The child was later found unharmed.
Corrections officials said the incident highlights ongoing safety concerns for staff during off-site medical transports. The investigation into the assault remains ongoing.
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