Four Rikers Island inmates were indicted earlier this week for assault after allegedly beating another detainee to the point of hospitalization, according to an announcement from the Bronx District Attorney’s office.
Moquease Mendez, 18, and Shatike Robinson, 23, were arraigned Wednesday on multiple charges of first-, second- and third-degree assault, as well as first- and second-degree gang assault. Akeem Williams, 22, and Nicholas White, 24, have also been indicted on the same charges and are still awaiting arraignment. An indictment is a formal accusation, and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.
According to the investigation, on the morning of May 17 while multiple detainees were awaiting processing at the facility, Mendez started “antagonizing” a 39-year-old male detainee, whose identity was withheld, in the bathroom by throwing objects at him and “splash(ing)” him with milk. Mendez then allegedly began to kick and punch the man, and after he left the bathroom “to get assistance” supposedly Robinson, Williams and White also began beating him.
The DA’s office said the victim was taken to a local hospital after suffering from abdominal pain, a rib fracture, internal bleeding and a splenic laceration with multiple pseudoaneurysms. He underwent two surgeries, the second of which to remove his spleen and intubate him. The 39-year-old was discharged from the hospital after two weeks and is still undergoing physical rehabilitation, according to the DA’s office.
The DA’s announcement did not make the motivation for the attack clear.
“The defendants allegedly carried out a brutal, unprovoked attack against a fellow detainee inside a facility on Rikers Island,” said Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark. “We will not tolerate violence on Rikers Island and are doing everything we can to hold people accountable for it, but more must be done to prevent such incidents.”
This week’s indictment slightly resembles a case from early in May, where Clark charged 10 alleged Bloods and Crips members on various assault charges for their roles in a “jailhouse war” at Rikers.
Bronx DA indicts 10 alleged gang members for violence at Rikers Island
Reach Camille Botello at cbotello@schnepsmedia.com. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
