Syracuse, N.Y. — A man awaiting sentencing for a violent robbery in Clay is now accused of breaking a deputy’s collarbone in the downtown jail.

Malik Shabazz, 21, is charged with second-degree assault for attacking a deputy on April 25, 2025, after refusing Deputy John Withers’ orders, according to a felony complaint.

Shabazz refused to be locked in his cell after he disregarded rules and covered his doorway with a sheet, Onondaga County Sheriff’s spokesperson Tom Newton said.

Shabazz spat at the deputy and began to fight him as the deputy tried to lock him in the cell, Newton said.

Shabazz hit Withers several times and forced him to the floor, according to court documents.

The deputy has not returned to work since the assault, Newton said.

Withers graduated from the Central New York Law Enforcement Academy in August 2024.

Shabazz was taken back into custody on April 1, 2025, according to county incarceration records.

Shabazz was released from jail last year on a $500,000 bond that was one of dozens of fraudulent bail bonds.

Shabazz was the only defendant released on a falsified bond who skipped town after his release.

He was eventually located and taken back into custody.

On April 22, Shabazz pleaded guilty to first-degree robbery and first-degree burglary.

He admitted to participating in a home invasion with two other men. The group threatened to kill the two adult victims with a handgun, and pistol whipped them both, according to the complaint.

Three children were also inside the home at the time of the robbery.

He was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday, but his new charge could impact the sentence.

He is set to return to court on June 27.

Staff writer Anne Hayes covers breaking news, crime, law and public safety. Have a tip, a story idea, a question or a comment? You can reach her atahayes@syracuse.com.