Inmate tunnels through wall, stabs man in neighboring cell, prison officials say

(NEW YORK) — Kavian Thomas, a man currently incarcerated at Rice Street jail in Fulton County, Georgia, dug a hole in a shower wall, granting him access to the adjacent cell block, where he allegedly launched an attack on Derondney Russell, on May 17, according to the Fulton County Sheriff’s Office.

Thomas allegedly stabbed Russell multiple times once he tunneled through the wall and into Russell’s cell, the sheriff’s office said in a press release Thursday.

Russell sustained “superficial stab wounds to his upper body” and was treated in the medical unit of the jail for his injuries, officials said.

After the incident, officers checked both cells and discovered several weapons in both cells, some made “from parts of the dilapidated building infrastructure” according to the release.

“This jail has clearly outlived its useful life,” interim Fulton County Jail commander Curtis Clark said in the press release. “That reality makes it even more challenging for us to do our job providing the safest possible environment, not only for staff but for the inmates as well.”

The sheriff’s office said Thomas will face additional criminal charges for the attack.

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