A Corrections Department spokesman says that during Saturday's Rikers Island uprising prison guards applied "defense holds and used defense spray" to get brawling inmates back in line. Thirteen corrections officers and three inmates were inured in the conflict that began around 11 p.m., jailhouse bedtime. "A few inmates were encouraging others not to lock in," the spokesman Stephen Morello told the Post. Apparently they were also angered that earlier in the day, their cells had been searched.
A captain sustained the most serious injuries, cuts to the head and face. Twelve other officers were taken to the hospital with "bumps, bruises and small cuts," while the inmates had injuries like a broken hand and fractured wrist. Though the fight—which took place at the George R. Vierno Center, where prisoners are held before trial—was violent, it was broken up quickly, informed an insider. "This was not a prolonged, prolonged battle," the source said.
