Fights put New York City jail in lockdown mode

NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York City's Rikers Island jail was under lockdown on Wednesday in the wake of fights between inmates and guards that left 20 people injured, authorities said.

On Tuesday evening two separate fights broke out involving inmates and Department of Correction officers at the jail complex, which houses about 14,000 inmates, said Stephen Morello, a Department of Correction spokesman.

"Inmates in both cases apparently resisted and assaulted the staff," Morello said.

Sixteen Correction officers suffered injuries, including one with head lacerations and another with neck wounds, he said. None of the injuries were life threatening.

Four inmates were injured but none of the injuries was serious, and the inmates were treated at the jail clinic, Morello said.

The jail remained in lockdown mode on Wednesday, with inmates confined to their cells, while officers searched for weapons and contraband, Morello said. No weapons were involved in Tuesday's fights, he said.

Most of the inmates at the jail are awaiting trial.

(Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst; Editing by Jerry Norton)