NEWTOWN, Conn. (WTNH) — An inmate stabbed two officers with a makeshift sharpened toothbrush at Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown, according to the state Department of Correction (DOC).

Officials with the DOC said 35-year-old Joe Baltas of Meriden was being escorted from one part of the facility to another when he “violently” attacked two officers — stabbing one in the neck and another in the torso with a makeshift sharpened toothbrush.

The officers were taken to a hospital for treatment, where they were treated and released.

DOC officials said Baltas was immediately secured and taken to the MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution’s restrictive housing unit in Suffield.

He last entered the DOC in October 2006 and was sentenced in April 2010 to a maximum of 95 years and six months on a murder charge.

“As Commissioner, this is my worst fear – that our brave staff members are attacked and injured,” Commissioner of the DOC Angel Quiros said. “I rushed to the hospital as soon as I learned of the assault, and thank God, they are all right. This is a sobering reminder of the dangers our courageous correctional professionals face on a daily basis. We must always remain vigilant. I am doubling down on my efforts to ensure the safety of these fine men and women.”

Union leaders called the inmate attacked the officers “viciously and without provocation.”

“We urge the DOC and state legislators to act on the concerns repeatedly raised by the Union and its members, to ensure that correctional officers who uphold the duty to protect the public are also protected,” said Mike Vargo, the president of AFSCME Local 1565.

David Bednarz, Gov. Ned Lamont’s senior press secretary, issued the following statement to News 8.

“Corrections officers provide a critical law enforcement service to our state, and we are always willing to hear their thoughts on ways to improve safety in our correctional facilities. We are relieved to hear that the officers involved in today’s assault have been treated and released from the hospital, and we pray for their quick recovery.”

Connecticut State Police and the DOC are investigating Tuesday’s attack.