A 9-year-old girl was punched in the head and slashed on her hands as she tried to break up a fight that escalated into an attempted murder inside a Long Island home, according to police.
The violence stemmed from an argument between Milton Mendez and a 39-year-old woman in the Uniondale home around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nassau County police said. As the fight intensified, the 45-year-old Mendez grabbed a kitchen knife and allegedly cut the woman multiple times in her face and on her hands, causing her to lose what police described as a significant amount of blood.
It was then that the young girl, who had witnessed the fight, tried to intervene, police said. Mendez allegedly grabbed her around the neck and squeezed, choking her before punching her in the head.
The girl tried to get the knife away from Mendez, but he slashed both of her hands, according to police.
Soon after, the girl and a 17-year-old female in the home at the time both left the home and called police.
Responding officers heard the 39-year-old victim screaming for help from inside the home. Mendez was seen leaving the kitchen and coming into a hallway while holding a knife and covered in blood, Nassau County police said.
Officers told Mendez to drop the knife, but he refused. As he walked toward police, officers were able to subdue Mendez, get the knife away from him and arrest him.
The woman and girl were taken to a nearby hospital and were recovering, according to police.
Mendez was charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, weapon possession, endangering the welfare of a child, and more. He was set to be arraigned Wednesday. Attorney information for Mendez was not immediately available.
