A classroom assault at Lakeview Correctional Facility left a civilian counselor and a correction officer injured, including one diagnosed with a concussion.
The attack happened Feb. 23 at the medium-security prison in Brocton when a 34-year-old inmate approached a female counselor and began striking her in the face and head, according to the New York State Correctional Officers & Police Benevolent Association.
Officials said the inmate had been seated before suddenly getting up and attacking the counselor inside the classroom. As she tried to retreat, he continued to hit her. She fell, struck her head on a metal desk and then fell to the floor while the assault continued.
An officer outside the classroom called for assistance as the counselor attempted to defend herself. Additional officers responded, but the inmate refused to comply with commands.
One officer briefly subdued the inmate in a body hold but was repeatedly punched in the back of the head when the inmate broke free. Officers deployed OC spray, but it had no effect on the inmate, officials said.
It ultimately took four officers to restrain him and force him to the ground. He was handcuffed and taken to a holding cell for decontamination before being transferred to Attica Correctional Facility.
The counselor suffered injuries to her jaw, neck and head. The officer who intervened experienced swelling and pain in the back of his head and was later diagnosed with a concussion at Westfield Hospital. A second officer sustained shoulder and elbow injuries while helping restrain the inmate and was treated at the facility.
The inmate is serving a seven-year sentence for drug possession and was convicted in Niagara County in 2024 of attempted criminal possession of a controlled substance in the third degree.
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