Two Rikers Island corrections officers were arrested Friday on charges they severely beat a teenage inmate after taking him into a supply closet in December.
The alleged assault took place Dec. 9. Video captures Capt. Medzid Kolenovic taking 18-year-old Ambiroriz Celedonio into the room to settle an argument that started at lunch in the mess hall.
Officer Jean Destine followed them into the closet, which has no security cameras. When they emerged, the inmate’s face was bruised and bloodied, authorities said.
The officers were arraigned in criminal court in the Bronx on third-degree assault and other charges including falsifying business records. According to authorities, Kolenovic initially reported he injured his hands, yet later filed for workers’ compensation benefits claiming injuries to his torso and face.
The officers each face up to four years in prison.
They were released without bail and ordered back to court Oct. 8.
The arrests followed a probe by the city’s Department of Investigation.
Celedonio has an open case in the Bronx for allegedly threatening his mother by showing up at her Bronx home Aug. 27 and swiping his thumb across his throat while declaring “snitches get stitches.” The mother has a restraining order against him, a law enforcement source said.