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16 Correction Officers Injured In Rikers Melee

NEW YORK (AP) -- More than a dozen New York City correction officers were injured while quelling fights between inmates awaiting pretrial hearings at a Rikers Island jail.

New York City Correction Department spokesman Steven Morello said two separate fights involving six inmates broke out at the Otis Bantum Correction Center at about 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

He said responding officers were assaulted by the quarreling inmates before everything was quickly brought under control, leaving 13 correction officers and 3 captains injured.

Morello said the injuries were non-life threatening. He did not say what caused the fights.

The investigation is continuing.

(Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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