SHIRLEY, MASS. (WHDH) - A corrections officer is in the hospital after he was attacked by an inmate at MCI in Shirley.

The Department of Corrections said the inmate hit the officer multiple times with a 10lb pull-down bar in the weight room of the prison gym and knocked the officer unconscious. The inmate has been separated from the general population. The officer was med flighted to a hospital after the incident and is still alive, a union official told 7NEWS, adding the attack was unprovoked.

The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union said in a statement Wednesday it was too early to comment on the incident “[B]ut we do know there was a serious, life-threatening assault on a Correction Officer today at the Shirley Medium facility.”

The union official said there have been repeated inmate assaults on corrections officers in Shirley and staffers are worn down.

“This incident comes as no surprise, considering the get soft on crime mentality that has percolated throughout the state on almost every level,” the union said in a statement.

Corrections haven’t conducted inmate searches yet.

This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

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