A Prince George's County, Maryland Sheriff's deputy treated his own severe injuries after he was stabbed in the face during a distress call Monday morning.
Deputy Nick Romanchik, a member of the department's Emergency Petition Service squad, responded to a home off Route 1 between Guilford Drive and Amherst Road, according to WTOP.
Upon arrival, the deputies encountered a man believed to be suffering the mind-altering effects of low blood sugar.
"Somebody who is having a medical emergency, particularly something like hypoglycemia, they may display the same mannerisms as somebody who is having a drug-induced issue or someone having a mental issue," Prince George’s County Sheriff's Col. Darrin Palmer told the news station.
During the confrontation, the man stabbed Romanchik in the face with a military-grade knife.
The deputy was hit above the cheekbone and the blow broke his jaw.
"This (was) a fairly gory scene, because of the type of injury it was. There (was) profuse blood," Palmer said. "The injured deputy … (was) able to self-deploy the trauma kit while the deputies (were) assisting and maintaining the security of the situation to keep it all safe for everyone there."
Romanchik, who has at least a decade of experience with the sheriff's office, was transported to a local hospital where he was treated and released.
Negotiators were able to get the man to eat something and stabilize his blood sugar before convincing him to climb down a ladder off the roof of the home and was taken into custody.
On his days off, Romanchik volunteers at the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department.
"Both in his capacity as a deputy with the Sheriff’s Office and as a fireman with the Kentland VFD, his dedication to serving the citizens is unequaled … We are honored to have him as an active member and hope for him to have a speedy recovery," Kentland VFD Deputy Chief Oleg Pelekhaty said following the incident.
