Corrections Sergeant Assaulted by Inmate at Albany Medical Center
by Webmaster | Nov 11, 2013
An inmate hospitalized at Albany Medical Center punched a Sergeant several times in the head while in his hospital room after the inmate went after a nurse trying to treat him and the Sergeant came to her aid.
The incident occurred on November 9, 2013 inside of a secure ward for inmates at Albany Medical Center. Inmate Anthony Smith, who was hospitalized this past Tuesday after intentionally swallowing some type of object, was being treated in his room by a hospital nurse when he became argumentative with her and very aggressive. He was instructed several times by the Sergeant, who was in the room with two other officers, to calm down.
As the incident escalated, Smith who wasn’t restrained in the room, jumped up from his bed towards the nurse in a very aggressive manner. The Sergeant quickly moved and got between the inmate and the nurse. At this point, Smith struck the Sergeant several times with a closed fist in the head. After being struck the Sergeant was able to restrain Smith, get him back down on the bed and with the assistance of the other two officers, get restraints on his wrists and leg irons on his ankles. Smith continued to kick and struggle during the entire incident.
The Sergeant was treated in the emergency room for lacerations to the left side of his head and behind his left ear and scratches to his forehead. He continued to stay on duty after the incident. The nurse and other two officers were uninjured.
Smith, who is currently serving a life sentence at Clinton Correctional Facility, has a history of assaulting staff. Since being incarcerated in 1995, he has 18 recorded incidents in which he attacked staff, seven in which he attacked fellow inmates and one in which he attacked civilian staff.
At the time of the incident Smith was not restrained in his room. The ward he was hospitalized in is considered secured. The officers guarding him had requested that Smith be restrained before this incident but it had been denied by DOCCS administration.
Smith, 56, is still hospitalized at Albany Medical Center. Criminal charges for the assault are pending.