Video: Farmington Hills police stop stabbing in progress, save victim

Video: Farmington Hills police arrest suspect in act of stabbing attack

Body camera video of Farmington Hills police shows the call responding to a domestic stabbing — and were met by the attacker’s son.

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (FOX 2) - Farmington Hills police released body camera footage of its response to a domestic violence call and the life-saving measures officers took - when every second counted.

It was a chaotic scene, with people screaming, blood on the walls, and someone on top of a victim - at the Timberidge Apartments just before 2 a.m. Friday, September 29.

Police were called out to a domestic stabbing — and were met by the attacker’s son.

Officer: "You okay?"

Boy: "My dad’s trying to stab my mom."

Officer: "Are they still in there?"

Boy: "Yeah."

Officer: "I need you guys to stay out here."

Police head through the hallway — and open the door.

"Hey, hey, please, please," someone yelled inside.

The attacker is on top of the victim — who’s already been stabbed four times in the chest, once in the back.

The suspect was on top of the victim trying to manually push the blood out of his body by making him bleed out.

Officers, with their guns drawn, don't know that the knife has already been dropped — but make the split decision to de-escalate.

"Let me see your hands," the officer says.

Police then take 34-year-old Curtis Leroy Washington Jr. into custody.

Officer: "Hold on, stay still."

And start working to save the man bleeding out on the couch.

Officer: "I got a stab wound to the chest. He’s bleeding, send medics in."

They apply chest seals to stop the bleeding and prevent his lungs from collapsing.

Officer: "Gotta put pressure on it, I gotta put pressure on it."

The officers saved the victim’s life — and safely stopped Washington without having to escalate.

"It was a low-light, chaotic, stressful situation that the officers handled with professionalism with courage, with heroism," said Police Chief Jeff King. "And I couldn’t be more proud."

Washington is the estranged husband of the woman in the video. He’s charged with assault with intent to murder and domestic violence.

"Who did admit his intent was to take someone’s life that night," King said.

Washington was already on bond after another domestic incident earlier in September and not supposed to be anywhere near his wife or her apartment.

The victim was a male friend of hers. A man — who will recover, thanks to the officers keeping calm — under pressure

"They were able to quickly assess that situation, not only to intervene and save the victim’s life, but not escalate the force that under law, could be justified, and take the life of the suspect," King said.

Washington is in Oakland County Jail - and is being held without bond.

FOX 2 is told the stabbing victim is out of the hospital and recovering back home.