By C1 Staff
RIKERS ISLAND, N.Y. — An inmate who slashed the face of a Rikers Island corrections officer has been arrested and charged with assault, according to the Department of Corrections.
Sources told PIX11 that the inmate, Jimmy Lugo, 20, is a gang member.
The facility was placed under lockdown after the Wednesday attack while officials searched the cells for weapons. The slashing weapon was not recovered at the scene, according to the publication.
“I am outraged by this serious assault,” DOC Commissioner Joseph Ponte said in a statement. “As part of our comprehensive reforms, we have already tightened search procedures to keep out weapons and other contraband, bolstered security camera coverage and added emergency response teams to each facility to get to officers faster if they are in danger. As we have previously done, we will continue to seek a change to state law in order to authorize the use of body scanners, which we already own. The scanners can detect the type of weapon used by this inmate.”