20 corrections officers were hurt when a fight between rival gangs broke out at the Horizon Juvenile Center in the Bronx. 11 of the injured guards had to be transported to the hospital for treatment.
The fight which took place just a few days' after all 16 and 17-year old criminals were removed from Rikers Island and relocated to the juvenile facility was the result of unsafe conditions according to a spokesperson for the Correction Officers Benevolent Association.
Several bouts of inmate on inmate violence have plagued the institution since it opened but this was the first time the guards were caught up in the trouble. An employee of the center who wished to remain anonymous said the guards ordered the two gangs involved in the attack to stand down but the order was ignored and the brawl quickly got out of control.
Queens Councilman Bob Holden who was quoted in The New York Post asked, "Why are two rival gangs that are battling put together or are commingling?"
The guards' spokesman said the facility should be shut down immediately until it can be made safe.
Photo Credit: Getty Images