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A correctional officer at Auburn Correctional Facility in Auburn was stabbed multiple times by an inmate on Monday (March 2), leaving four additional officers injured during the incident, according to a statement from the New York State Correction Officers and Police Benevolent Association (NYSCOPBA). The attack took place as officers were monitoring inmate movement for the evening meal.
According to WSYR-TV, the inmate, identified as 49-year-old Amar Bell, was released from his cell for dinner when he allegedly punched an officer, then stabbed him in the upper left arm and twice in the upper back with a homemade weapon. Bell then ran down the cell block but stopped and lay on the floor once the emergency response began.
State police confirmed Bell’s identity and reported that he struck the officer multiple times and used a sharpened piece of metal with a taped handle as the weapon. The officer suffered puncture wounds, injured ribs, and a swollen jaw and was taken to Auburn Community Hospital for treatment. Four other officers sustained injuries to their knee, shoulder, hand, and thumb during efforts to restrain Bell but remained on duty, as noted by RochesterFirst.
During the aftermath, Bell initially complied while being handcuffed but became combative when escorted, kicking and hitting officers until leg restraints were applied. He resisted further during a contraband search but was ultimately restrained and taken for medical evaluation before a planned transfer to Five Points Correctional Facility.
Bell is serving a sentence of 20 years to life for a 2013 assault and weapon conviction in Westchester County, where he severely injured a Yonkers store employee, according to union reports cited by Corrections1.
Union officials, including Kenny Gold, NYSCOPBA’s western region vice president, stated that the officer who was stabbed is expected to recover, but highlighted ongoing safety concerns for staff. Gold and other union leaders called for swift amendments to the Humane Alternatives to Long-Term Solitary Confinement Act (HALT Act), arguing that current policies limit discipline options and threaten the safety of correctional officers and inmates.
The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) indicated the incident will be referred to the Cayuga County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. The state police investigation continues, and further charges may be filed as the case develops.