By C1 Staff
MANHATTAN — Up to 14 corrections officers at the Manhattan Detention Center were taken to the hospital after an incident inside the facility exposed them to pepper spray, AMNY reported.
Officials say the officers were conducting searches when seven inmates would not come out of their cells Wednesday afternoon.
When the inmates resisted, the officers used pepper spray. Chemical exposure sent 11 officers to the hospital with minor injuries, according to a DOC spokeswoman.
However, an FDNY spokesman said 14 people were taken to the hospital. It is unclear why there is a discrepancy in the numbers.
“The safety of our officers is Commissioner Ponte’s number one priority,” a DOC spokeswoman said in an email to AMNY. “That is why we have launched a comprehensive program of meaningful reform that includes many measures to improve officer safety — such as providing officers with specialized training in conflict de-escalation and mental health first aid.”
According to the spokeswoman, no inmates were injured.