KEY POINTS

  • A Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) officer was attacked by multiple inmates Sunday
  • The incident happend at Sumter Correctional Institution
  • The unnamed officer suffered non-life threatening injuries from the brawl
  • Sumter Correctional is the third prison in the state to suffer a COVID-19 outbreak with 24 inmates testing positive

A Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) officer suffered injuries after being assaulted by multiple inmates over the weekend.

The incident happened at Sumter Correctional Institution around 2:00 p.m. The unnamed officer was at their post when the prisoners attacked, said the FDC in a news release.

Other inmates came to help the mauled officer, while other uniformed personnel brought the incident under control.

Progressive prosecutors are taking a new approach to incarceration in the United States, and seeking to reduce the prison population
Progressive prosecutors are taking a new approach to incarceration in the United States, and seeking to reduce the prison population. Alan and Aimee Friz will only serve two years of probation following the dismissal of multiple charges against them in 2017, including neglect of a dependent. AFP / TIMOTHY A. CLARY

The victim, which was in stable condition, was transported to an area hospital for treatment after sustaining non-life threatening injuries from the altercation.

Inmates who were involved are set to face disciplinary actions including criminal charges for assaulting an officer, the press release added.

FDC Secretary Mark S. Inch lauded the actions of those who helped the officer in a statement.

“I want to commend the staff and inmates who came to this officer's aid during this violent attack. Our officers showed courage and perseverance under extreme duress,” Inch said, adding that correctional officers “work every day” as they forge on with public service to protect the state of Florida.

“We stand behind this officer and pray for a swift and complete recovery,” he added.

Fox News meanwhile relayed a statement from the FDC that Sumter Correctional Institution is “not under medical quarantine.” Rather, the prison's administration has restricted the movements of its population akin to the rest of the state's penitentiaries.

The order, which prohibits the access to commissaries and showers, is known to exacerbate the conditions of both prisoners and officers.

Jill Trask, whose friend is sentenced at Sumter Correctional, told the Miami Herald that prisoners are afraid of being exposed and are “starting to panic.”

She added that inmates who had fever still sleep in their normal dorms until their test results came back positive for COVID-19.

Trask's husband and another friend, both inmates of Lake Correctional Institution, claimed that prisoners “sleep close together” and do not have enough access to cleaning supplies.

They are also afraid of the fact that employees are not wearing masks, she added.

Sumter Correctional is the third state penitentiary to suffer a COVID-19 outbreak with 24 inmates testing positive for the virus as of Sunday as compared to a previous report of only seven cases.

As a whole, Florida's prison system has 113 inmates and 80 staff members falling ill from the virus.

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