NATION : 29 Hurt in N.Y. Jail Uprising
An inmate’s stabbing touched off the second uprising in eight days at the city’s Rikers Island jail and left about 25 guards and four prisoners injured, authorities said today.
Eighteen inmates barricaded themselves in their cellblock and set fires Tuesday night after the prisoner was stabbed, said Correction Department spokeswoman Ruby Ryles. The assailant’s identity was not known, she said.
Forty guards ended the uprising within 30 minutes, Ryles said.
Ryles had said Tuesday night that about 75 people were injured and that most of them were treated for smoke inhalation. None of the injuries were life-threatening, Ryles said.
Twenty-five guards and four inmates were taken to local hospitals, Emergency Medical Services spokeswoman Gail Christianson said this morning. The extent of the damage to the jail was not immediately known.
Last week, up to 1,000 guards blockaded the entrance to the island in the East River for 36 hours, protesting inmate violence against guards and demanding more authority to use force.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
