Massive Brawl Injures 20 Guards At NYC Juvenile Detention Center

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Some Law Changes Are Causing Tensions Amongst Gang Members

Some jail guards want a new Bronx juvenile detention facility shut down after a massive brawl on Wednesday that injured 20 correction officers and left 11 of them in the hospital.

According to the New York Post, Horizon Juvenile Center just opened a week ago and already officials are saying it’s a hostile environment. “We’re saying to the City of New York, shut Horizon down today, immediately, until it can be made safe,” Correction Officers Benevolent Association president Elias Husamudeen said during a press conference.

The brawl was the result of rival gangs going at it Wednesday morning. Opposing sides refused orders from the guards to stand down. Once the fight was over, 16 correction officers and four captains suffered injuries to their legs, arms and hands. Eleven of the injured people had to be treated at a hospital.

“Why are two rival gangs that are battling put together or are commingling?” Queens Councilman Bob Holden said.

This isn’t the first time violence struct since Horizon opened. After 16 and 17-year-olds were moved to the facility, a 12-on-1 beatdown of an inmate occurred at the hands of gang members. “Inmates have been fighting with each other since they got their last week,” a source said.

Later on Wednesday at 4:20 p.m., the NYPD had to be called for another inmate who attacked a guard with a radio, according to the NYPD.

Administration for Children’s Services spokeswoman Chanel Caraway said the violence was due to growing pains and “none of the injuries were serious, but we take these and all incidents seriously.”

Many 16 and 17-year-old defendants have been relocated across New York since a new “Raise the Age” law passed. It treats 16-year-olds accused of crimes as juveniles and not adults. The law went into effect on Monday and it will extend to 17-year-olds on October 1, 2019, according to the New York Post.

Because of the law, many 16 and 17-year-olds were moved from New York City’s Rikers Island and placed in local juvenile centers on Monday. Mayor Bill de Blasio called it “an historic day for criminal justice reform.” He continued, “Beginning today, no one under 18 will go to Rikers Island. Kids will be treated like kids instead of adults.”