Cops shot a knife-wielding man believed to be high on heroin in the leg after he charged them in a Bronx building early Wednesday, police said.
Carlos Colon, 25, ran at cops with the knife after Sgt. Luis Martinez Tasered him on the seventh floor of a building in the Throggs Neck Houses on Dewey Ave. near Balcolm Ave. shortly before 1 a.m., Bronx Patrol Borough Commander Assistant Chief Larry Nikunen said during a press conference at the scene.
“The suspect continued to advance at the officers with the knife,” said Nikunen. “One of the uniformed housing officers then discharged one round, striking the suspect one time in the upper right thigh.”
That officer, Wendy Amaya, who joined the NYPD in January 2013, was treated for ringing in the ears after the confrontation.
Even after the gunshot, Colon did not drop the knife, prompting the sergeant to use the Taser on him a second time, Nikunen said. This time he fell to the ground and was taken into custody. He was rushed to Jacobi Medical Center in stable condition, police said.
Police had initially spotted Colon outside of the building “running and holding his side” as if he was concealing a weapon, Nikunen said.
The officers, who had been assigned to the area after police received intelligence on impending gang violence between two crews, chased Colon into the building, where he lived with his girlfriend, police said.
Colon had initially turned the knife on himself, cutting his neck and wrists and saying he wanted to kill himself before charging the officers, police said.
Police sources said Colon had been kicked out of his girlfriend’s apartment earlier in the day and had a history of drug abuse.
“We’re getting information that he may be under the influence of drugs, maybe heroin,” Nikunen said.
A 58-year-old resident of the building said Colon, who moved from Puerto Rico four years ago and has a young son with his girlfriend, usually had a calm demeanor.
“I’ve never seen him be a problem,” said the resident, who declined to give her name. “I would see him walking his dog, buying cigarettes, and go back inside. It was always just in and out. He always seemed fine, but he never hung out with the neighbors outside.”
Nikunen said that Colon may have pulled the Taser pins out of his skin when the device was used on him the first time.
“Some people react differently to a Taser. Sometimes, it’s able to subdue a suspect and other times it’s not,” he said.
Charges against Colon were pending. He has a previous arrest, from 2014, in which he was charged with unauthorized use of a vehicle and criminal mischief.
With Rocco Parascandola
