Riot breaks out in lockup
12 men involved after complaints about linens, jail officer, sheriff says
A special law enforcement team was called in Friday to quell a riot among 12 people incarcerated at the Albany County jail — who had complained they weren’t getting enough linens and who demanded that a correctional officer be removed from their tier, Sheriff Craig Apple Sr. said.
The Correction Emergency Response Team was called in after hours of discussion between the men and jail officers to try to de-escalate the riot toward a peaceful resolution, Apple said. They allegedly tied off gates that prevented any staff from entering and blocked the view of the area. They covered themselves in towels and shirts to conceal their identities, poured soap all over the floors to make it hard to get them, grabbed broomsticks and mops, and struck officers with cups of urine, he said.
The response team arrived to deploy tear gas and pepper spray. The intervention ended with two of the incarcerated men in the emergency room, one needing stitches
over his eye and the other complaining of jaw pain.
Apple confirmed the injuries were a result of physical altercations, but said he did not know exactly what led to them.
“It was a depressing situation,” the sheriff said. “I think sometimes what happens with inmates is they back themselves into a corner, and they’re afraid if they cower down they’ll lose all the respect inside the facility ... but we have a jail we need to keep safe and secure.”
Many of the men are now facing a combination of misdemeanor charges, including inciting a riot, criminal possession of a weapon and obstructing governmental administration.
According to a sheriff’s department news release, those charged include Hassan Riddick, who was in the jail on a seconddegree murder charge; Serieon Bankston, who pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in November; and Quintin Lacy and Devin Mackay, also charged originally with murder.
Others were in the jail on charges including
robbery, petit larceny, weapon possession and contempt. Three are housed from federal cases.
Apple said the men were angered because a correctional officer would not allow their families to send them more linens such as towels, sheets and clothing.
The men wanted the
correctional officer taken off their section, “and that’s not going to happen,” Apple said.
“You’re only allowed a certain amount of sheets, clothes in your cells. They can be made (into) ropes ... there’s a litany of different things that can happen,” Apple said. “This officer refused to give them extra linens, and they were unhappy with that.”
The men will be arraigned, and in the meantime are being held in a special housing unit separated from others incarcerated in the jail, Apple said.
“It’s a very chaotic situation when something like this occurs. It hasn’t occurred in years,” he said.
It’s a very chaotic situation when something like this occurs. It hasn’t occurred in years.”
— Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple Sr.