An alarming video unveiled the distressing state of affairs in a troubled federal detention facility located in Brooklyn, depicting inmates affiliated with the notorious MS-13 gang brutally assailing a fellow prisoner 44 times within a hauntingly long span of 37 seconds. This video was acquired by the Daily News and unfolds the dreadful situation prevalent in the Sunset Park detention facility – a scenario frequently questioned by defense lawyers, judges and its residents over a considerable period. The state of affairs in MDC deteriorated so much so that judges have regularly considered it as grounds to lessen jail terms. Defense lawyers have consistently voiced out against recurrent imprisonments, substandard and pest-infested food, as well as the facility’s scarce staffing.
The video provides a detailed account of an assault that took place on April 27, being one amongst numerous violent episodes reported at the detention facility, including the fatal stabbing of two inmates in June and July. The prime suspect, according to a video recording of the April 27 assault, is Luis ‘Inquieto’ Rivas, an inmate with a prolonged history of chilling violence, both within and outside prison walls. Rivas is currently undergoing a 40-year imprisonment term, 35 years of which are for the near decapitation of a 16-year-old boy in Alley Pond Park, Queens, because the teenager denied assassinating a fellow member at his MS-13 leader’s command.
The aforementioned video captures a chilling sequence of events wherein the victim, whose identity remains unnamed, is seated alone at a table in the prison’s communal area, his feet propped up, while a dozen or so other prisoners either stray around or are seated at adjacent tables. In a shocking turn of events, one of these inmates, allegedly Rivas according to a letter written by federal prosecutors to judge presiding over Rivas’ case, casually walks up behind the victim, fetches an object from his waist, and swiftly strikes the victim from the rear, plunging the object into his side.
No sooner does Rivas initiate the attack, he is soon joined by a couple of accomplices, also alleged MS-13 members according to federal prosecutors. They wrestle the victim to the ground, engaging in a vicious cycle of continuous blows and stabs. Three more inmates seated at a nearby table hastily retreat, whereas several others spectate the horrific scene from a distance. A source familiar with this incident mentioned that the victim of the attack, who miraculously made it out alive, may have been part of MS-13 as well, and that this particular section of the prison is designated exclusively for members of the Salvadoran gang, to avoid any possible confrontation with rival gangs.
As the attack unfolds, a solitary correction officer arrives to the scene. Initially walking, the officer commences a run upon realizing the situation’s grim nature. Producing what appears to be a can of pepper spray, the officer puts an end to the ongoing onslaught, then proceeds to chase after Rivas and his accomplices across the communal area. Despite being assaulted brutally, the victim manages to stand and limps out of the room, without any assistance from fellow inmates—off camera.
Approximately one minute and 20 seconds after the assault, a second correction officer arrives at the scene, followed by additional reinforcement. Subsequently, the video captures guards taking one of the assailants into custody. Upon a search conducted post-attack, prison staff recovered two makeshift weapons (shivs) from Rivas and one other attacker—two elongated metal pieces, one 5 and a half inches long, the other 10 and a half inches long, both honed to a lethal point as noted in court documents.
Officials at the Bureau of Prisons claim that it isn’t unusual for a single correction officer to be in charge of a housing unit with up to 150 prisoners, with the provision to call for backup in case of emergencies. MDC has been in the spotlight due to its intolerable conditions over the years, including a lack of ventilation, stale food and subpar medical care as noted by the National Association of Women Judges who conducted multiple facility visits dating back to 2015.
Josh Dratel, a defense lawyer representing a convicted MS-13 boss with connections to Rivas’ case, defined the contents of the video as terrifying. Post the closure of the Metropolitan Correctional Center in Manhattan in 2021 after the suicide of financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the MDC is the single federal jail covering New York City. One distressing case among others involved inmate CT scan reports left unattended for several weeks, precipitating the doubling in size of a cancerous mass in the inmate’s lungs as he waited to be hospitalized.
The facility has been suffering from a lack of staffing, with only 200 out of 301 designated correctional officer positions filled as of a report published in November. Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall, during a sentencing on Wednesday, implicated the staffing shortfall for the increase in violent episodes at MDC. Hall questioned the integrity of jail staff in a future evidentiary hearing, aiming to ascertain if they were guilty of misinforming about an inmate receiving a full course of antibiotics post-appendectomy.
Renowned defense attorney Ricco illustrated a case where one of his clients was the victim of a non-fatal stabbing incident in the prison this June. However, his client chose not to press charges due to the fear of being labeled a snitch. Owing to lack of effective management, inmates often have to deal with conflicts themselves as explained by Ricco. This also strengthens the gangs’ prowess in the facility, creating an environment of perpetual terror and violence.