A city correction officer suffered a fractured rib, a busted lip and sustained injuries to his head and eye after an inmate assaulted him at a Rikers Island jail, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
Durel Bonilla — who was being held at the Otis Bantum Correctional Center on kidnapping, assault and weapons possession charges, court records show — asked the officer Thursday at around 9 a.m. about picking out some items from a jail pantry.
The guard dialed another correction officer to help Bonilla out with the pantry, the officer told the Daily News.
But within seconds of hanging up the phone, the inmate — who is a member of the Bloods, according to an internal incident report obtained by The News — socked the officer in the head.
“The guy walked up to me, punched me and [then] I’m like blacked out on the floor,” said the officer, who’s name is being withheld due to possible retribution from inside the facility.
“Somebody [else at the jail] said when I was on the ground he kicked me, punched me,” said the officer, who said his colleagues watched surveillance video of the incident and relayed to him what they saw.
When he finally came to, the officer began calling out for help.
“I tried to stand up, but I couldn’t; I was dizzy, I could barely open my eyes… I was yelling to the other inmate to help me, but nobody [comes],” he said. “So I dragged myself back by the gate.”
A colleague discovered the injured officer and helped him to the infirmary. He was then taken to New York-Presbyterian Queens, where he was treated for his injuries.
“For the past eight years, the Department of Correction has housed inmates by their gang affiliation, which has embolden the gangs to create little armies within the jails which lash out and assault our officers with impunity,” said COBA President Benny Boscio Jr., who called on the agency and Commissioner Vincent Shiraldi to disband gang affiliated housing areas in the jails.
“How many more officers have to have their ribs, noses, and eye sockets broken until the department finally puts safety and security first?” he added.
Correction Department press secretary Jason Kersten said the agency is investigating the incident.
“Assaulting people is as much a crime in our facilities as it is on the streets, and we will work with the Bronx DA to hold this individual accountable — and, more importantly, do all we can to productively occupy people in our custody to reduce violence and assure the safety of those who live and work here,” Kersten said in a statement.
The rate of assaults of staff increased by over 23% July 1, 2020 through October 31, 2020, according to the most recent preliminary Mayor’s Management Report.