A police officer in the Bronx was hospitalized on Thursday night after a deranged man, wanted for a stabbing earlier that day, went on the attack and split the cop’s head open.
According to police sources, the incident unfolded inside the Fordham Road train station at around 5:23 p.m. on March 5.
Sources said two NYPD Transit Bureau officers approached the suspect, whom they later identified as 41-year-old Sergio Santiago. The sources said the cops had recognized him from a wanted flyer distributed for a previous assault earlier in the day.
When they approached Santiago, police said, the suspect engaged them in a physical struggle. During the fracas, cops said Santiago allegedly bashed one of the cops over the head with an unidentified blunt object.
Santiago then fled the station as the injured officer and his partner ran after him. Sources said the cops lost sight of him near the corner of East 188th Street and Elm Place.
Police said the injured cop suffered a severe laceration. Fellow officers rushed him in a police cruiser to St. Barnabas Hospital, where he was treated for his injuries and listed in stable condition.
Police said Santiago had been wanted for a stabbing earlier in the day.
Law enforcement sources reported that the attack occurred at around 12:15 p.m. on March 5 along East 167th Street and Gerard Avenue in Highbridge.
Authorities report that the suspect allegedly stabbed the victim in the back and slashed him across the face with an unknown object. The injured man was taken to Lincoln Hospital in stable condition.
The NYPD could be seen late into the evening visiting storefronts and other businesses in the area for the man responsible.
Sources with direct knowledge of the investigation report that police paid a visit to a homeless shelter where Santiago was known to stay. However, workers there say he no longer resides at that location.
No arrests have been made, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information regarding this incident or the suspect’s whereabouts can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.
