On Dec. 29, 2006 at about 2:30 a.m. three Glen Cove men were leaving the Millennium Bar at 59A Glen Street when they were confronted at knifepoint by two men who demanded money, reported Det./Sgt. Tom Fitzpatrick of the Glen Cove Police Department. He said the victims ran down Glen Street and into the alleyway near 19 Glen Street in an attempt to get away, but were overtaken by their assailants.

One of the victims was beaten with fists and feet, while another victim was stabbed several times, in the chest, leg and arm, said the sergeant. The third victim got away - but came back to aid his friends. With his return, Sgt. Fitzpatrick stated, both assailants fled on foot with property belonging to the victims - but not before inflicting a punctured lung and a partially cut femoral artery in one victim's leg as a result of the knife assault. While he lay in the alley bleeding profusely from the life-threatening injury, said Sgt. Fitzpatrick, the other two victims ran around the corner to the Glen Cove Police headquarters where they flagged down a patrol car for help.

According to the sergeant's report, Police Officer Ryan Nardone rushed to the scene and provided first aid to the victim until Glen Cove EMS arrived. EMS provided life-sustaining emergency medical care while rushing the victim to North Shore Hospital in Manhasset, where he was narrowly saved from bleeding to death.

With the help of Spanish-speaking interpreters, said Sgt. Fitzpatrick, the two remaining victims told police that they had seen their attackers before, but did not know who they were. Detective Karl Van Allen was called in to lead the investigation and in a well-coordinated effort by investigators and patrol officers, two 20-year-olds, Daniel Gutierrez and Elmer Calidonio, both of Glen St., were arrested by 10 a.m. that same morning, charged with attempted murder and robbery. Sgt. Fitzpatrick stated that both men have also been identified as members of the MS-13 street gang, although he added that the police have no reason to believe that this incident was related to, or motivated by, any gang affiliation.

Det. Van Allen and Det. Senia of the Nassau County 2nd Squad applied for a search warrant for the suspects' apartment and in the search, a bloody 7-inch kitchen knife was found under a bedroll, said Sgt. Fitzpatrick, adding that also recovered in the apartment was a cell phone identified as belonging to one of the victims, as well as blood-stained clothing.

Sgt. Fitzpatrick reported that the defendants, both natives of Honduras, were arraigned in Nassau County First District Court on Dec. 30, 2006, and are currently being held without bail at Nassau Correctional Facility in East Meadow. At the time of this writing, the stabbing victim has been released from the hospital and is expected to make a full recovery.

- CS