Thanksgiving turned out to be not so pleasant for a Rikers city jail captain, as fifteen inmates at the notorious prison gathered – presumably to plan – before attacking the guard in a coordinated attack. At least 3 of the 15 inmates assaulted 31-year-old guard Awais Ghauri as others stood in a perimeter around the guard to keep other guards from stopping the beating.
33-year-old inmate Jason Reid orchestrated the attack on Ghauri, according to video footage of the incident. Reid knocked Ghauri to the ground and repeatedly beat him. Authorities for the prison noted that the attack was retaliation for Ghauri’s use of pepper spray to break up a tense situation between Reid’s gang (the “Bloods”) and a rival gang in the prison.
Noted Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark:
These inmates are sorely mistaken if they think they can mete out punishment to correction staff who are doing their jobs. If you play any role in making Rikers Island unsafe, we will arrest you, prosecute you and urge consecutive sentences if you’re convicted.
Remarkably, Ghauri eventually prevailed over Reid in the planned attack, but then was assaulted by two other inmates – Maurice Hennegan (24) and Lyemel Summerville (19). Ghauri suffered bruises and a laceration to his face, as indicated in the photo.
One jail captain ran to get help during the assault, while two other jail captains – Ricardo Reimers and Keith Phillips – were caught on video running away from the scene for the sole purpose of avoiding the confrontation. They have been suspended by the department.
All of the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges. Two inmates were held on bail amounts exceeding $25,000 while the remainder were remanded pending future bail applications.
Ghauri is “recovering at home” according to one of the officers who attended the hearing for the inmates. The guards who fled the scene – Reimers and Phillips – are pictured below.
