Defendant Allegedly Knocked Officer Unconscious; She Suffered Facial Fractures
Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Rikers Island inmate has been indicted for assaulting a NYC Department of Correction Officer, punching her in the head and causing her to fall and break bones in her face.
District Attorney Clark said “This vicious assault took place as the Officer’s back was turned. The defendant allegedly knocked her out with a punch to the back of her head, and she fell face first on to the floor resulting in fractures to her skull. This cowardly attack is completely unacceptable, and this defendant will be held accountable.”
District Attorney Clark said Robert Ray, 33, of Queens, was indicted on Assault on a Peace Officer, Police Officer, Firefighter or Emergency Medical Services Personnel, second-degree Assault, third-degree Assault and Obstructing Governmental Administration. He was arraigned today before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. Ray remains remanded. He is due back in court on May 28, 2025.
New York City Department of Correction Commissioner Lynelle Maginley-Liddie said, "Our members of service perform one of the toughest jobs in law enforcement. This indictment sends the message that there will be swift and serious consequences for anyone who attacks our staff. We will not tolerate an assault on officers and will work with our partners at the Bronx DA's office to promote safety for our staff and accountability for violence against them."
According to the investigation, on February 8, 2025, at 6:18pm in the Otis Bantum Correctional Center mess hall, the Correction Officer was on post. The defendant is seen on video getting up from a table and walking directly over to the officer and from behind he swung a closed fist, hitting the officer in the head. She was immediately knocked unconscious, fell forward onto the mess hall floor, and struck her face on the hard floor.
The officer was transported via ambulance to Mount Sinai Queens where she received emergency treatment for head and facial trauma to include several stitches for a wound on her face. She was transferred to Mount Sinai Morningside in Manhattan where she remained for a week for treatment to fractures to her orbital and sinus bones.
District Attorney Clark thanked Department of Correction Intelligence Bureau Investigators Paul Smith, Nathaniel Williamson, Lakeisha White, Ayana Jackson, Walter Holmes, and Jeffrey Rios for their work on the investigation.
An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
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