Lee Correctional officer arrested for assault and battery on inmate
Arrest warrant says man stomped on handcuffed inmate's stomach
A correctional officer at Lee Correctional Institution has been arrested following an incident involving an "excessive use of force," a state prison official said.
Antonio Lavar Burns, of Columbia, has been charged with third-degree assault and battery after an arrest warrant was served on Friday, according to Jeffrey Taillon, spokesman for the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC).
The warrant states Burns assaulted and battered an inmate on April 28 by "stomping on the victim's abdomen while the victim was handcuffed and lying on the floor." There are reportedly witnesses to and a video of the incident.
Taillon said the inmate was seen by medical staff but did not require treatment.
Burns has been terminated from his position.
According to SCDC inmate records, the man Burns is accused of assaulting is 35 and has been serving a 13-year sentence for armed robbery and failure to stop for an officer since 2015. He had been incarcerated at the Bishopville prison, the state system's largest maximum-security campus, since March 8.
A bloody, deadly fight between inmates in three housing units at the prison on April 15 left seven inmates dead and 22 injured. Two of the injured men filed a lawsuit on Tuesday accusing state officials of negligence in failing to hire, train or monitor enough officers to maintain order.