A Brooklyn man, locked up at Rikers Island on murder charges, continues to be violent. Sundance Oliver, 30, allegedly killed two officers and injured another in his most recent assault on prison authorities.
The injured person, a woman, said Oliver turned on them while she and her colleague were bringing him out of the showers. He then pulled back the chain around his waist and used it as a weapon.
Oliver, a renowned gang member with a long criminal record, has been in jail since December 2022 for his deadly and violent spree in New York City. Since then, he has assaulted 45 correction officers and three civilians, The NY Post reported.
A former criminal and alleged member of Brooklyn's Loop Gang, a violent Bloods gang that operates in East New York's Pink Houses, Oliver has more than 30 arrests on his criminal history, including sealed cases such as robbery, assault, and murder.
One of the victims, a seven-year veteran of the department, said she was traumatised after the incident. "I keep replaying this scene, almost getting choked out and then seeing my partner getting beaten on," she said.
She said she feared for her safety and didn't sleep because of dangerous prisoners like Oliver. She said these violent inmates should be locked down 24x7 and be isolated to prevent such deadly attacks on jail staff.
Cops are already stressed and traumatised by working in jail, as they are also "locked up" when on duty, she said. That they have to deal with frequent attacks by aggressive prisoners, however, worsens the situation.
According to reports, 80 jail employees have been assaulted by various inmates so far this year.
Benny Boscio, president of the city Correction Officers' Benevolent Association, said in a statement, "We are calling for the DOC to assign several members of our Strategic Response Team to provide security escorts within the facility for this dangerous inmate to keep our officers safe."
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