2 arrested after Suffolk County police officer stabbed in groin, slashed on chin
AMITYVILLE, Long Island (WABC) -- A 29-year-old Suffolk County police officer is recovering after being slashed while attempting to make an arrest overnight.
It happened on Gibbs Road Tuesday night around 12:30 a.m.
Officers responded to a 911 call about two men looking into parked vehicles and found one man hiding underneath a black pickup truck in a driveway.
As officers were attempting to remove the suspect, he slashed one officer in the face and stabbed him in the groin.
"Initially he was observed on one side of the car, he kind of shimmied under the car, they met him on the other side," said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina. "When they attempted to place him into custody, he immediately emerged with a knife and that's when the officer was slashed and stabbed."
After a brief struggle, 22-year-old Steven Vasquez was arrested and a pocketknife was recovered.
Marcelo Martinez, 19, was also arrested nearby.
The injured officer, a four-year veteran, was taken to Good Samaritan University Hospital in West Islip. He was released later Tuesday and will recover at home.
Vazquez is charged with assault, criminal possession of a weapon, resisting arrest, menacing a police office and grand larceny. Martinez is charged with possession of burglar's tools and criminal possession of stolen property.
The Suffolk Police Benevolent Association released a statement saying, in part, that officers continue to face "great peril as they work to protect the life and property in Suffolk County."
"This is yet another case of a violent perpetrator attempting to kill a Suffolk County Police Officer and almost succeeding. I commend these Officers for their bravery and quick action," PBA President Lou Civello said in a statement.
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