Man pleads guilty to nearly killing Long Island cop in 2021 knife attack

A man accused of trying to kill a Long Island police officer by stabbing him in the leg during a traffic stop has pleaded guilty to assault and will spend 16 years in prison.

Jonathan Nunez pleaded guilty to 10 counts on Monday as the man he nearly killed, Suffolk County Police Sergeant Chris Racioppo, watched from the courtroom.

“It was mixed feelings. I haven’t seen Mr. Nunez since that night, and that night wasn’t very pleasant,” Racioppo said after seeing the man whose attack put him in a medically induced coma.

An unbalanced driver involved in a Long Island crash late Saturday night fought with police and ended up stabbing an officer in the leg, Suffolk County police said Sunday. Reported by NBC New York correspondent Adam Harding.

The 31-year-old nearly died after he reacted to a crash involving a Mercedes Benz in which Nunes admitted to being under the influence of drugs while driving on April 10, 2021. Police began chasing Nunez on South Ocean Avenue in Patchogue around 10:45 a.m. evenings that night because he was allegedly “driving erratically without headlights,” officials said.

Some time after Racioppo turned on the headlights, Nunez crashed his Mercedes into a Nissan at the intersection of Brook Street. Nunes then got out of the car and, according to officials, “disobeyed the officer’s orders.”

A physical altercation ensued between Nunes and Racioppo, after which Nunes drew a knife and stabbed the officer in the leg as he tried to arrest him.

Racioppo received a lacerated leg wound. The trauma surgeon who operated on him said the police officer could have died within 20 minutes if the people who witnessed the attack, including a Marine veteran, had not rushed to stop the bleeding. This former Marine, Guillermo Sandoval, ran out of his house after he heard the Nissan crash into a tree on his lawn.

Sandoval said he saw Nunes asking for help, but at the same time he saw Racioppo telling Nunes to back off. The two then started fighting in his backyard.

A Suffolk County police officer is fighting for his life after he was stabbed by a driver he tried to stop. Luckily, the Good Samaritan jumped in to save the officer’s life. NBC New York correspondent Pei-Sze Cheng reports this.

He said he went back to his house to call 911 and grab the belt to try and use it as a tourniquet to stop the officer’s bleeding. By the time he returned, other officers had arrived and, along with another witness, a retired NYPD officer, were assisting the injured policeman. Nunez, who tried to escape, was then taken into custody.

Racioppo spent 16 days in the hospital due to a ruptured artery, 10 of which he was on a ventilator. According to doctors, at some point he was in a state of “medical shock” and could not speak. At the time, the long-term implications, including whether he would ever be able to walk again, were uncertain.

Nunes, who had been arrested several times before, admitted to taking methamphetamines on the night of the accident.

“He made a mistake and he knew he had to atone for it,” said his lawyer, Chris Brocato. He added that Nunez was truly sorry.

Under the plea deal, the Centereach man will be sentenced to 16 years instead of the maximum 30 years behind bars.

Racioppo returned to work and was recently promoted to sergeant. He is also now a father of two, though still dealing with physical and emotional scars.

“He belongs behind bars. In the end, that is exactly what happens,” Racioppo said. “We all knew he was guilty, but admitting guilt helps.”

Nunes will be officially sentenced in March.

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