Rikers Island Inmate Steals Guard's Uniform In Escape Attempt

He almost pulled it off!

An inmate at New York's Rikers Island stole a guard's uniform in an attempt to escape from Otis Bantum Correctional Center. But officers snagged him on his way out the door.

Wearing the Department of Corrections uniform, 28-year-old Bokeem Jones casually strolled down the corridor on his way to the exit. He knocked on a locked door, and a staff member let him out.

New York City Department of Correction officer at Rikers Island. (James Keivom/New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

But just in time, someone recognized him.

Jones then struck a "fighting stance" and bolted away from officers. That's when guards decided to "deploy a chemical agent" — presumably pepper spray — in order to restrain him, according to reports. The scuffle injured three staffers.

Jones is currently serving time on assault charges.

He had stolen the guard's uniform from the correctional facility's gym. But officials aren't sure how he had access in the first place.

The incident is under investigation.

New York City's Rikers Island prison complex contains 10 separate facilities. (Photo by Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images)

But this isn't the first time someone made headlines for attempting to escape from Rikers Island.

Back in September, a 48-year-old inmate escaped from a Rikers jail barge and jumped into the East River. Staff threw the man several life rafts, but they claim he refused to accept them.

He was unresponsive when NYPD's Harbor Unit pulled him out of the water 10 minutes later.

Recently, activists have complained about poor conditions at Rikers. And earlier this month, federal authorities sounded the alarm over a high number of in-custody deaths at the facility.