BROOKLYN, N.Y. (PIX11) — Davit Sekhniashvili may have dodged death not once, but twice, Wednesday afternoon.
One moment, the 20-year-old was driving with his mother down Avenue K and Utica Avenue in New York City. The next, his brother says, a drunken man wielding a boxcutter hurled metal at his BMW.
“My brother came out to check, and the person pulled a knife and charged toward my mother to stab,” said Ilya Sekhniashvili.
Police say they happened to be driving by and saw the confrontation. Attempting to intervene, a detective ordered the 32-year-old suspect to drop the boxcutter.
“This person came within three to four feet with a boxcutter, refused numerous directives, and [the detective] felt he was in immediate threat between himself and the person he was trying to stab,” said Chief Joseph Kenny.
That’s when police say the officer fired a single shot, hitting the suspect — who they say has a history of emotionally disturbed behavior — in the torso.
“I was standing across the street, literally point-blank range,” said Faylynn Dube.
The shooting happened at a busy intersection between two medical office buildings.
“The surgical team across the street came out and were giving CPR to the victim,” said Mone Paige, a nursing student.
At the same time, police were taking the driver and his mother to the precinct to be interviewed when the cruiser they were in slammed into two vehicles a block away. Six people, including two officers, were transported to the hospital, according to the New York City Fire Department.
“My brother has a broken arm, a concussion,” said Sekhniashvili.
Despite those harrowing moments, he credits the police with saving his mother and brother’s lives.
“If the police were not here, I don’t want to think about it. He would have stabbed my mother and my brother,” Ilya said.
The 32-year-old suspect has not been identified. Police say he underwent surgery for the gunshot wound and charges are pending.