A Phoenix police officer was stabbed in the neck during a confrontation with a suspect at a gas station early Sunday.
The incident happened at around 1 a.m. when Phoenix police were called to a QuikTrip station concerning a person trespassing, KPHO-TV reports. When police arrived, the suspect agreed to leave the station, but as an officer escorted him out, the man attacked the officer, stabbing him twice in the neck.
The injured officer was assisted by a station guard, who detained the suspect until backup arrived. The officer—who had been with the department for six months and had worked as a reserve officer before that—was taken to the hospital, and he's in stable condition with serious but not life-threatening injuries. Phoenix Police Sgt. Mayra Reeson told KPHO that he's expected to be in the hospital for several days.
“Within a couple millimeters, one way or another, this could have been a tragedy for the Phoenix Police Department," said Cmdr. Matt Siekmann. "Actions like this are simply unacceptable."
Interim Police Chief Michael Sullivan echoed those sentiments.
“This is the second Phoenix officer who has been violently attacked in a week," he said, referring to a March 29 ambush shooting that wounded an officer. "I refuse to let this become the norm. It’s unacceptable ,and the community should be outraged."
