WASHINGTON — A Prince George’s County deputy is recovering after his colleagues said he treated himself for severe injuries after he was attacked while responding to a distress call.
When a report came in early Monday morning that a man in College Park, Maryland, could be a danger to himself or others, a specialized team within Prince George’s County Sheriff’s department looked up the background of the individual and headed out to the home off Route 1 between Guilford Drive and Amherst Road, the department said.
“Somebody who is having a medical emergency, particularly something like hypoglycemia, they may display the same mannerisms as somebody who is having a drug-induced issue or someone having a mental issue,” said Col. Darrin Palmer with the Prince George’s County Sheriff’s Office.
As responders were interacting with the man, believed to be suffering the mind-altering effects of low blood sugar, he stabbed Deputy Nick Romanchik in the face with a Ka-Bar, a military-grade knife.
Romanchik was hit above the cheekbone and the blow broke his jaw, Palmer said.
“This (was) a fairly gory scene, because of the type of injury it was. There (was) profuse blood,” Palmer said, adding that the nature of the situation changed instantly at that point.
Not only was the man’s family nearby monitoring the scene, Palmer said the two other deputies had to consider their safety and ensure the man didn’t have the opportunity for a second attack while also making sure their colleague got treatment.
“The injured deputy … (was) able to self-deploy the trauma kit while the deputies (were) assisting and maintaining the security of the situation to keep it all safe for everyone there,” he said.
Romanchik, who has at least a decade of experience with the sheriff’s office, was treated and released from the hospital.
On his days off, he volunteers at the Kentland Volunteer Fire Department.
“Both in his capacity as a deputy with the Sheriff’s Office and as a fireman with the Kentland VFD, his dedication to serving the citizens is unequaled … We are honored to have him as an active member and hope for him to have a speedy recovery,” said Deputy Chief Oleg Pelekhaty.
An Emergency Petition Service is one of the most dangerous calls first responders can make, said Palmer, as the designation indicates the person is in some type of mental, medical or emotional distress. Oftentimes responders know very little about that person’s status, including whether they are armed.
“You can plan and prepare and do all of these things. You can’t take certain elements out, which is danger and risk. But their response to it from 3:30 a.m. through the conclusion of this guy surrendering himself was textbook,” Palmer said.
Once negotiators and deputies were able to get the man to eat something and stabilize his blood sugar, they then convinced him to climb down a ladder off the roof of the home without injuring himself, Palmer said.
