Inmate stabs officer, hurts 3 others at Minnesota’s Rush City prison, DOC says

By Stephen Swanson

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    Minnesota (WCCO) — A correctional officer was stabbed by an inmate on Saturday afternoon at Minnesota Correctional Facility-Rush City, according to the state’s Department of Corrections.

Officials say staff were in the midst of routine cell searches at about 3:20 p.m. when they encountered an inmate suspected of having “hooch,” or homemade alcohol.

“When officers approached, the incarcerated person assaulted staff with a makeshift weapon (shank),” officials said in a statement released on Sunday morning.

One of the officers suffered “a puncture wound,” officials said. The injury is considered non-life threatening and the officer is expected to make a full recovery.

Three other officers who subdued the inmate were also injured. All three were “evaluated and released” from an area hospital.

Officials say after the attack, the inmate — who’s serving a life sentence for first-degree murder — was transferred to the state’s maximum security prison, MCF-Oak Park Heights.

Rush City prison was put on lockdown following the attack, but it was lifted on Saturday evening in all areas except where the assault occurred, officials said.

DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell said his department’s special investigations team is leading the investigation, and is expected to recommend assault charges to the Chisago County Attorney’s Office.

“This senseless act of violence serves as a stark reminder of the dangers correctional staff face every day in service to public safety,” Schnell said. “We are grateful for the swift and courageous actions of our staff, and we are providing them the care and support they need. We will pursue every available remedy to hold the assailant accountable for this cowardly attack.”

The union representing the officers released a statement Sunday afternoon saying that “violence against workers is absolutely unacceptable and must be prosecuted to send a clear, unmistakable message — it will not be tolerated.”

“The brutal attack last night that sent multiple Correctional Officers and staff at MCF–Rush City to the hospital is yet another reminder of the dangers our union members face every day inside our correctional and secure facilities. These are not isolated incidents — they are part of a disturbing and repeated pattern that must come to an end now,” said AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Bart Andersen.

According to the DOC, MCF-Rush City — located about 60 miles northeast of Minneapolis — currently houses more than 950 offenders, with more than 450 inmates serving sentences for homicide-related offenses.

This is the first reported attack on a Minnesota prison correctional officer in nearly 15 months. The last one occurred in late May of 2024, when two officers at MCF-Stillwater were assaulted by two inmates. The officers suffered minor injuries, and the inmates — like the suspect in Saturday’s attack — were moved to MCF-Oak Park Heights.

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