Bodycam Captures Brutal Stabbing of Conn. Police Officer During Stop
By Hana Ikramuddin
Source The News-Times, Danbury, Conn.
WATERBURY, CT — A judge on Friday left the bail at $3 million for a man accused of stabbing a police officer in the neck during a traffic stop Thursday in Woodbury, after a prosecutor called him an "extreme threat to society."
In state Superior Court in Waterbury, prosecutor Don Therkildsen said he will charge Tyler Martin Wilmot, 31, of Main Street in Woodbury, with being a persistent dangerous felony offender, which could lead to between 10 and 40 years in prison.
Several hours after the arrest, Wilmot was caught on camera saying he hoped the Woodbury officer, Tim Wright, would die, the prosecutor said.
The stab wound missed the officer's carotid artery by 1 mm, nearly killing him, Therkildsen said.
During past police contacts, Wilmot had also threatened both the officers who were involved in Thursday's incident, Therkildsen said.
In one incident, the prosecutor quoted Wilmot as saying, "I will beat your brains out."
The other time, he told the officer, "I will burn your house down," the prosecutor said.
Wilmot was held overnight in lieu of bail while facing charges of attempted murder, first-degree assault, assault on a police officer and interfering with police, state police said.
He also is charged with three motor vehicle infractions, driving without a license and driving without license plates or readable plates, according to Connecticut State Police.
Wilmot has been arrested in Connecticut at least three times this year, in January and twice in May, on charges including use of a facsimile firearm, assaulting a police officer and threatening, the prosecutor said.
On May 28, he was extradited to California, where a bail commissioner said he is charged with assault with a deadly weapon.
The Connecticut charges were dropped, or nolled, because officials believed Wilmot would be imprisoned for a lengthy period in California, Therkildsen and Waterbury State's Attorney Maureen Platt told reporters after court.
But Wilmot was released on a $150,000 bond in California and returned to Connecticut, Therkildsen said.
Charges that have been nolled can be revived within 13 months, and Platt said there are plans to revive at least some of the charges from Wilmot's first three Connecticut arrests this year.
Thursday's incident occurred around 1:24 p.m., when Wright noticed that a Jeep Grand Cherokee heading north on North Main Street in Woodbury lacked a properly displayed license plate, state police said in a statement.
When the officer turned on his emergency lights and siren to stop the Cherokee, it complied, pulling into the driveway of an apartment complex.
But the Cherokee driver then got out of the vehicle and approached the officer, acting "verbally aggressive and refusing to comply with verbal commands," state police said.
The confrontation became physical, and the driver stabbed Wright in the neck with a knife, state police said.
Woodbury Officer John Covello arrived during the confrontation. The driver tried to flee on foot, but Covello used his Taser stun gun to subdue him, then put him in handcuffs, according to state police.
Covello tended to Wright's injuries while maintaining "visual contact and verbal control" over the suspect, state police said.
Therkildsen said in court that Wright was unable to get words out during the incident because of blood in his throat.
Because it was not known how long emergency medical personnel would take to arrive and recognizing "the immediate need for a higher level of medical care," state police Sgt. Matthew Costella, who is a Woodbury resident trooper, took Wright to Waterbury Hospital, state police said.
The prosecutor said an emergency medical technician met the officers halfway to the hospital.
"Unquestionably, those actions saved the officer's life," he said.
"Officer Wright is in stable condition at this time and is expected to make a full recovery," state police said in the statement, issued Thursday evening.
The suspect was positively identified as Wilmot and was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury because of the use of the stun gun, police said, adding that he was later discharged and taken to the state police Troop L barracks in Litchfield for processing.
Wright has more than 35 years of law enforcement experience, the Associated Press reported.
In addition to leaving Wilmot's bail at $3 million, Judge Hunchu Kwak directed that he receive medical and mental health attention in jail.
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