A couple of quick-thinking cops saved a 70-year-old woman's life and apprehended her attacker during a Saturday evening home invasion in Brooklyn.
Police officers arrested Luis Hernandez, of Queens, Sunday, authorities said. The 42-year-old was charged with two counts of felony assault and burglary.
The victim, who lives alone near Ovington Avenue in Bay Ridge, answered her door at approximately 10:10 p.m. Authorities said that's when Hernandez allegedly forced his way into her apartment. She asked him to leave the apartment — instead, he locked the door.
Police say he hit the woman in the head with a vase, put her in a headlock and began to beat her before grabbing a mirror and smashing it over her head.
A neighbor from the apartment below heard the commotion and called 911, police said.
After hearing screams for help upon arrival, officers forced their way into the apartment. They allegedly found Hernandez beating the victim while he was on top of her and apprehended him, officials said.
An officer applied a quickclot tourniquet to her neck and the back of her head, where she had multiple cuts and was gushing blood. Authorities said the officers held the bandage with pressure until paramedics arrived at the scene.
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Paramedics applied a bandage over the tourniquet and transferred the woman to Lutheran Hospital in critical condition. Police say she's been upgraded to stable, and that the tourniquet saved her life.
