D.C. Jail Inmate Ovid Gabriel Indicted After Officer Stabbed Nine Times During August 2025 Lockdown

Indictment details alleged attack inside Central Detention Facility

A 21-year-old man incarcerated at the District of Columbia jail has been indicted in federal court on charges tied to the stabbing of a corrections officer during a facility lockdown in August 2025 and to alleged threats against a second officer days later.

The defendant, Ovid Gabriel, was indicted during the week of Feb. 27, 2026. The charges include assault with intent to kill while armed, assault on a police officer while armed, aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, unlawful introduction of contraband into a penal institution, and felony threats. An indictment is an allegation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

What prosecutors allege happened on Aug. 3, 2025

Investigators allege that on Aug. 3, 2025, as corrections officers were conducting a lockdown at the D.C. jail, Gabriel was standing in his cell doorway. When an officer approached and ordered him into the cell, prosecutors say Gabriel refused, produced an improvised knife, and stabbed the officer nine times.

Authorities say the officer was hospitalized for about three weeks and underwent lifesaving surgery. A separate Department of Corrections notice issued the next day described the weapon as homemade and said the officer suffered multiple puncture wounds, was transported by D.C. Fire and EMS to a local hospital, and was listed in stable condition with serious injuries.

Alleged threats discovered days later

Prosecutors also allege that on Aug. 11, 2025—about one week after the stabbing—corrections staff discovered a drawing on a cell wall depicting Gabriel holding a knife over a corrections officer identified by name. Authorities say the drawing was signed and that Gabriel acknowledged creating it.

Context: contraband risks and violence concerns at the D.C. jail

The case unfolds amid ongoing scrutiny of safety conditions at the D.C. jail complex, which includes the Central Detention Facility and the Correctional Treatment Facility. A May 2025 report commissioned by the Office of the D.C. Auditor concluded that deteriorating conditions and contraband contributed to violence during the audit period it examined (July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024). The report also documented hundreds of staff use-of-force incidents and described a heavy repair burden affecting security-related infrastructure such as cell doors, locks, gates, and keys.

• Defendant: Ovid Gabriel, 21
• Location: D.C. Jail, Central Detention Facility
• Alleged weapon: improvised/homemade knife
• Key dates: Aug. 3, 2025 (stabbing); Aug. 11, 2025 (alleged threat); Feb. 27, 2026 (indictment announced)

Charges are allegations. Court proceedings will determine whether the government can prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.