Farmington Hills Police Stop Attack and Save Victim’s Life
(City of Farmington Hills, Oct. 10, 2023)
Farmington Hills, MI – On Sept. 29, 2023 at approximately 1:50 a.m., officers from the Farmington Hills Police Department responded to the Timber Ridge Apartments after receiving a 911 call reporting a stabbing in progress. The caller reported to the dispatcher that her estranged husband had broken into the home and attacked her friend, a 32-year-old male resident of Warren. The caller advised the dispatcher that the suspect was actively stabbing her friend with a knife.
Upon reaching the residence, officers observed the suspect to be on top of the victim, actively assaulting him. The officers immediately intervened, taking the suspect, 34-year-old Curtis Leroy Washington Jr., into custody without incident.
The officers then rapidly transitioned to providing lifesaving first aid to the stabbing victim. The victim was bleeding profusely from multiple stab wounds and was unable to breathe due to the wounds to his torso. The officers applied chest seals from their tactical medical kits which helped to control the bleeding and prevented the victim’s lung from collapsing. To expedite care, the officers carried the victim out of the residence to paramedics as they arrived on scene. Farmington Hills Fire Department medic units took over care of the victim and provided additional lifesaving measures prior to transporting the victim to Corewell Hospital Farmington Hills.
“I am extremely proud of the heroic actions of the women and men of the Farmington Hills Police Department. They were calm and courageous in the face of danger, de-escalated a chaotic situation, arrested a violent criminal and saved the life of an innocent victim,” said Farmington Hills Police Chief Jeff King. “When encountering this danger, they relied upon the outstanding training they are continuously provided and showed amazing restraint in their response to violence. This training allowed them to safely stop the violence while protecting the innocent and the suspect.”
Detectives conducted a thorough investigation of the incident. It was discovered that Curtis Leroy Washington Jr. had previously been arrested for Domestic Violence by the Farmington Hills Police Department on Sept. 13, 2023. He was currently out on bond and violated a conditional release order by having contact with his estranged wife on the night of the stabbing. The detectives submitted their findings to the Oakland County Prosecutors Office. The Prosecutor’s Office charged the suspect, Curtis Leroy Washington Jr., with one count of Assault with Intent to Murder and one count of Domestic Violence 2nd Offense. He was arraigned in the 47th District Court and remanded to the Oakland County Jail without bond.
“October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and this case is a tragic example of the physical and emotional trauma families suffer from domestic abusers and it is indicative of the cycle of violence which is seen too often,” Chief King stated. “The Farmington Hills Police Department is dedicated to preventing these horrific outcomes by working with our community partners.”
The Coordinated Community Response Team created by the Farmington Hills Police Department is a multi-disciplinary group dedicated to the identification of high-risk domestic violence cases with a coordinated community response. This group includes representatives from the Farmington Hills Police Department, City of Farmington Department of Public Safety, HAVEN, Call to Action Coalition, Mai Family Services, Oakland University, Jewish Family Services, Farmington Public Schools, Corewell Hospital, State and City prosecutors, and the 47th District Court. Team members meet regularly to pursue their goal of preventing the tragedy of domestic violence by reaching out to people in crisis and making them aware of vital services that are available.
Chief King invites the community to attend a Domestic Violence Community Forum on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2023 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Southfield Pavilion located at 26000 Evergreen Road in Southfield. Chief King, other law enforcement leaders, court and health care personnel will participate in a roundtable discussion on community response and solutions to domestic violence.
NOTE: Police and Fire Reports come directly from the agency involved and are written by the person or agency listed below the title. We generally run these “as is” or with minimal editing for punctuation, spelling, etc. Suspects should not be presumed guilty. Those needing more information about a case are encouraged to follow up with the reporting agency or court system for the most current information.
