LANCASTER, MASS. (WHDH) – New video shows the moment two inmates attacked a correctional officer at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster earlier this week.

The video comes from a security camera at the prison and shows an officer walking through a unit as several inmates sit at tables. An inmate leans in a doorway. As the officer walks past, the inmate in the doorway punches him in the face. The officer struggles with the inmate before a second inmate runs across the room and joins the attack. A second officer comes to the first officer’s aid as one of the inmates appears to stab him repeatedly.

The incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon and triggered an emergency response lasting hours.

A spokesman for the state executive office of public security said two officers were stabbed and three other officers were injured and taken to nearby hospitals after intervening in the attack.

Representatives of the union representing Massachusetts correctional officers said one of the injured officers was stabbed 12 times in the back and head. That officer’s condition was still serious but stable Friday afternoon, a union spokesman said. All other officers have already been released from hospitals.

The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union released the video of the attack on Friday and condemned the incident in an accompanying statement.

“The video shocks the conscience,” officials said.

Although union leaders said they were “stunned, appalled and angry at the level of brutality” seen in the video, they were not surprised.

“We warned the (state corrections department) about this kind of thing,” said representatives of the corrections officers’ union. “Our officers keep getting injured.”

“This horrific video speaks for itself,” officials continued. “Change must happen, and fast.”

Officials praised the bravery of police officers who responded to the incident and called for a comprehensive security review of security-related policies, procedures and protocols in Massachusetts prisons.

Union representatives also called for the creation of an advocacy committee “with an interest in ensuring the safety of everyone who enters the walls of a Massachusetts prison.”

The Executive Office for Public Safety and Order has launched a comprehensive investigation into the incident. Since Thursday afternoon, state authorities have also been conducting a comprehensive security assessment.

The Executive Office of Public Safety and Security said the inmates involved in this incident have already been transferred to other facilities in the Massachusetts prison system.

The state Department of Corrections is conducting a criminal investigation along with the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office.

“Our correctional officers do important and difficult work,” said Shawn Jenkins, interim director of the Department of Corrections. “Their safety is our top priority.”

“My thoughts are with the officers and their families during this time, and the Department offers the officers our full support as they recover from their injuries,” he later added. “Violence against DOC employees is unacceptable, and we will take the necessary steps to ensure those responsible are held legally accountable.”

(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)