FORT ANN, N.Y. — Guards at Great Meadow Correctional Facility used tear gas to break up a fight involving nearly two dozen inmates Monday night.
Officials said it was the second time in a week they had to use gas to stop a brawl at the maximum security prison in Comstock, about 70 miles north of Albany.
Two inmates suffered minor cuts and were treated at the prison, said Erik Kriss, a spokesman for the state Department of Correctional Services.
Prison officials confiscated several weapons, including razor blades and a piece of plastic sharpened into a makeshift knife, Kriss said.
No prison guards were hurt in the melee, which happened around 8 p.m. in a recreation yard, said Scott Bishop, a spokesman for the New York State Correctional Officers and Police Benevolent Association, the union that represents prison guards.
The brawl appeared to be part of a gang dispute and was similar to a big fight between inmates on Sept. 3, Bishop told the Post-Star of Glens Falls.
Officials are still investigating the incident, and it’s not clear if the same inmates were involved in both fights. The prison will discipline the inmates involved and they might also face criminal charges, Kriss said.
Last week’s melee resulted in a lockdown, with inmates confined to their cells round the clock through Friday. The prison was locked down again after the latest fight, but it’s unclear how long it will be in effect, Bishop said.