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DC police officer stabbed with scissors, citizen jumps in to help

A D.C. officer is expected to be OK after he was stabbed in the head, shoulders and back with a pair of scissors in the downtown area, according to police.

The 19-year police veteran was responding to a call of a man assaulting a woman and saw Robert Redding, 61, nearby who matched the suspect description, said Chief Peter ݮýham during a news conference Thursday afternoon.

The officer began following Redding. After the officer followed Redding in his cruiser and on foot for a few blocks from the area of Franklin Square while repeatedly asking him to stop, ݮýham said that Redding turned around at 13th Street and New York Avenue Northwest and began stabbing the officer.

“He suffered some pretty serious wounds to his head, back and shoulder. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment,” ݮýham told reporters.

The officer’s injuries could have been worse if John Burrows did not intervene. Burrows, who is homeless, he knew the officer under attack tried to help him.

“It does make me feel good to see that a guy who our police officer developed a relationship with was willing to put himself in jeopardy to protect one of our police officers. That’s something we won’t forget. It was very, very kind — very heroic,” ݮýham said of Burrows.

Other D.C. police officers soon arrived at the scene and took Redding into custody.

The officer was rushed to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

Redding is charged with assault with intent to kill and felony assault on a police officer. It’s unclear what the motive was for the stabbing, ݮýham said.

There is now to help Burrows, who risked his life to save the officer’s life.

Megan Cloherty

An award-winning journalist, Megan Cloherty is podcast host and producer of the “22 Hours: An American Nightmare.” She previously served as ݮý Investigative Reporter covering breaking news, crime and courts.

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