Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility. Read more Tim Tai / File Photograph

by Chris Palmer Published May 27, 2025, 4:24 p.m. ET

A former Philadelphia corrections officer was indicted Tuesday and accused of pepper-spraying five prisoners in several different incidents in 2023 — sometimes while the men were handcuffed or restrained by other guards, court documents say.

Christopher Knight is also accused of submitting false reports to cover up his actions. Prosecutors say he did so in an attempt to justify his use of force, which they called “excessive.”

Knight was charged with crimes including deprivation of rights and falsification of records. He did not have an attorney listed in court dockets Tuesday.

The actions he is accused of took place at a time when the city’s jails

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