By Chelsia Rose Marcius and Thomas Tracy
New York Daily News
NEW YORK — A group of inmates sparked a brief riot with corrections officers at the Manhattan Detention Complex Friday after snatching some equipment during a standoff at the jailhouse.
The inmates “attempted to overtake a housing area in the Manhattan Detention Center,” said Elias Husamudeen, the president of the Correction Officer Benevolent Association, in a statement about the 10:30 a.m. clash.
“The inmates were angry about who they were permitted to spend recreation time with and were demanding to spend recreation time with whomever they wanted,” Husamudeen said.
The inmates managed to get a hold of at least one gas mask as they fended off officers looking to corral them.
Department of Corrections Emergency Services Unit officers ultimately charged in and “ended the disturbance, restoring order,” Husamudeen said.
It was not immediately disclosed if any officers were injured during the scuffle. The DOC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The Manhattan Detention Complex, also known as the Tombs, houses men and women awaiting arraignment at Manhattan Criminal Court.
Husamudeen said the clash “is yet another example of why correction officers need punitive segregation, a jail within a jail, to maintain the highest levels of safety and security.”
“The inmates who pulled this stunt today mirror the same behavior of the perps on the street who think they dictate who enforces law and order,” he said.
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