An inmate at Rikers Island, Sundance Oliver, has been indicted on charges of attempted murder and other alleged assaults against correction officers, Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark announced. According to the indictment, Oliver, 31, from Manhattan, lunged and slashed two officers with a scalpel blade during a transfer to another facility on August 27. The incidents left one officer with a large scar and both in need of multiple stitches, the former receiving seven and the latter seventeen, as detailed in a recent report from the Bronx District Attorney's Office.
The case, which now sees Oliver facing extensive charges including Attempted Murder in the second-degree, Aggravated Assault Upon a Police or Peace Officer, and Assault On a Peace Officer, Police Officer, Fireman, or Emergency Medical Services Professional, highlights the ongoing safety concerns within the Rikers Island penal complex, Oliver was arraigned by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Ralph Fabrizio and, according to the Bronx District Attorney's Office report, will return to court on December 1, as officials seek to prosecute the alleged violent behavior.
Oliver's indictment also includes charges for a separate case, where he is accused of Aggravated Harassment of an Employee by an Inmate; between January and May, he allegedly hurled containers filled with feces at correction officers. This act of retaliation or protest as witnessed in penal institutions throws into sharp relief the harsh realities of penal life where communication and treatment breakdowns often lead to further violence and degradation, challenging the humanity of both the incarcerated and their keepers.
District Attorney Clark credited the New York City Department of Correction, Central Intelligence Bureau Investigators, and the Rikers Island Prosecution Bureau including Deputy Chief Edward Christian Uy and Assistant District Attorney Juan Pucha for their roles in the investigation.
