Metro

Police nab suspect in East Harlem brutal cop stabbing

Terrence Hale

Terrence Hale (
)

Ray Kelly shows the the knife used to stab Officer Eder Loor today.

Ray Kelly shows the the knife used to stab Officer Eder Loor today. (Dan Brinzac)

A police officer is lucky to be alive after being stabbed in the head this morning by an enraged man who had been arguing with a woman on an East Harlem street corner, authorities and witnesses said.

Officer Eder Loor and his partner responded to the suspect’s building — at 1345 Third Ave. — answering a call from the mom of Terrence Hale, 26, officials said.

She had called 911 to report her son was emotionally disturbed and acting irrationally, police said.

Loor and partner Lukson Merisme ran into Hale in the suspect’s lobby, according to NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly. Hale walked outside, telling officers he was going to the hospital on his own, but cops said they needed to take him, according to Kelly.

“They approached him and told him that they would take him to a hospital,” Mayor Bloomberg said. “He then produced a knife and attacked Officer Loor.”

The 28-year-old officer was listed in critical condition and went into surgery at 11:50 a.m at Mount Sinai Hospital.

“He was speaking with doctors and he was speaking with his wife but he was in a lot of pain,” said NYPD spokesman Sgt. Carlos Nieves.

The 3 1/2-inch knife penetrated Officer Loor’s left temple, above the eye, officials said.

Loor and his Nina wife are expecting a child in July. The wounded officer has been on the job for six years and is a staff sergeant in the Air National Guard, Kelly said.

“That guy stabbed the cop pretty bad,” said witness Kodjo Tossavi, 26, a phone technician. “There was blood pouring from his face.”

The drama unfolded at about 10:45 a.m. as a couple fought in front of Saverama on Third Avenue and East 107th Street.

Hale could he heard saying, “Take your hands off me. Don’t touch me,” witnesses said.

After the vicious attack, Hale fled toward East 109th Street, police said.

“I saw him running up the street with six cops following him. It was really crazy to see,” said Tossavi.

As cops chased Hale, Loor was holding a towel above his right eye before he was put into an ambulance and taken to the hospital.

“Today is a reminder that in a split second, a police officer’s life can be placed in great jeopardy,” Kelly said.

Hale has a long rap sheet, cops said, including previous New York arrests for robbery in 2002 and assault in 2006. He also had arrests in New Jersey for assault and bribery.

Additional reporting by Doug Auer, Beth DeFalco and Larry Celona