An NYPD detective who was stabbed 10 times during a robbery in the Bronx has described chasing his attackers before realizing how badly he was bleeding, in an interview aired Sunday on “One Nation with Brian Kilmeade.”
Detective Jose Mercedes told Fox News he tried to call 911 to report the location of his fleeing attackers but couldn’t unlock his phone. It was only when he looked down and saw blood covering the device that he understood the severity of his injuries and stopped running.
“Suddenly, I grabbed my phone again, and it’s completely filled with blood,” Mercedes said. “And at that point is when I stopped running.”
Mercedes said he was on his day off, retrieving belongings from the trunk of his car, when two masked men approached him. One pulled a knife and attempted to grab the gold chains around his neck.
“The first thing that went through my mind was fear,” Mercedes recalled. “The next thing that went through my mind was action.”
During the struggle, Mercedes said he managed to unmask both suspects, despite not knowing whether they were carrying additional weapons. He said he would have tried to get away from the men entirely had he seen them approaching before the confrontation began.
“The fear that comes upon you and your body turns cold,” he told host Brian Kilmeade. “Thereafter, your adrenaline kicks in. And now it’s action time, and now I have to defend myself with all my might or die.”
Police have identified the alleged attackers as D’Angelo Caraballo, 25, and Sneider Mejia, 24. Both are Dominican nationals living in the United States illegally, and both were arrested in Massachusetts after allegedly fleeing New York, Fox News Digital previously reported.
Scott Munro, president of the Detectives’ Endowment Association, used the interview to criticize immigration enforcement policy, saying law enforcement is being treated as a lower priority.
“They’re taking politics before public safety right now,” Munro said. “They’re taking politics before law enforcement.”
Mercedes suffered wounds to both arms and his back. He said the stress of the attack caused him to overlook a critical step he would normally know from his decade on the force, despite otherwise handling the encounter well.
“I did a lot of things tactically correct, but I also forgot a few things,” he said.
He credited the officers who responded for applying tourniquets to both of his bleeding arms.
“I thought I was going to die at a certain point. My skin changed colors, I became pale. My lips also became pale, and I cannot thank enough the — first of all, God — second of all, the 911 caller, the [52nd Precinct] officers that responded… they just assisted me with so much urgency. And the emergency service unit — they completely brought me back to life.”
