'Violent Assault': Man Accused Of Slashing Officer Indicted: DA

AMITYVILLE, NY — A man who slashed a police officer on Long Island was indicted on Tuesday, according to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney.

Steven Vazquez, 22, of Bay Shore, was indicted for attempted aggravated assault on a police officer and related charges for allegedly stabbing a Suffolk County police officer who had responded to reports of car break-ins earlier this month, the DA said.

"Our harshest penalties are reserved for those who violently assault police officers," Tierney said. "This alleged crime will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

According to the investigation, on May 6 around 1:06 a.m., the officer and his partner were canvassing an area for an individual dressed in all black with a ski mask who was reported to have been breaking into vehicles. The officers found Vazquez, who allegedly matched the description, hiding underneath a black pick-up truck parked in the driveway of a residence on Gibbs Road in Amityville, the DA said.

The officer’s partner approached the driver’s side of the truck and let the officer know that someone was trying to escape from under the truck on the passenger side, the DA said. The officer ran to the other side of the truck when Vazquez allegedly came out from underneath the truck armed with a knife and lunged at him, the DA said.

Vazquez allegedly slashed the officer on the neck and chin area and then stabbed him on his upper right leg and groin area, the DA said. He allegedly violently resisted arrest, causing the officer’s partner to use a taser to subdue him, the DA said.

The injured officer's partner applied a tourniquet to his right leg to reduce bleeding before driving him to Good Samaritan University Hospital in their marked patrol unit, the DA said. The officer was treated for his injuries and received stitches to close the wound on his chin and neck area, the DA said.

Vazquez had been taken into custody at the scene, the DA said.

On May 20, Vazquez was arraigned before Acting Supreme Court Justice Richard I. Horowitz and charged with one count of attempted aggravated assault upon a police officer, a Class C violent felony; one count of first-degree attempted assault, a Class C violent felony; two counts of second-degree assault, Class D violent felonies; one count of menacing a police officer, a Class D violent felony; and one count of resisting arrest, a Class A misdemeanor, the DA said.

Horowitz ordered Vazquez remanded during the pendency of the case, the DA said. He is due back
in court on July 1 and faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted on the top count, the DA said. He is
being represented by the Legal Aid Society.