Miami-Dade police officer recalls suspect stabbing him

Officer Mario Gutierrez shot, killed Dominique Jean

DORAL, Fla. – A Miami-Dade police officer on Wednesday recalled being stabbed when he stopped a man from blowing up a gas station near Miami International Airport.

"For me, I have a lot of blanks in my memory because it was happening so far and I was in survival mode," said Mario Gutierrez. "I had a fear of dying, but it's basically survive and do everything you can to stay alive."

On October 30, Gutierrez, 54, was patrolling the area near the airport when he saw Dominique Jean, who had lifted a cap off an underground gas tank and tried setting it ablaze.

"There was a fire. He was setting a fire with some newspapers and I saw the flames and I knew that's an emergency next to a gas pump, so I acted on it," said Gutierrez.

When Gutierrez stopped him, Jean, 51, stabbed him several times with a screwdriver and a knife.

"It was happening so fast and I was in survival mode," said Gutierrez. "All I thought was the guy was coming here to commit a crime and I need to do my job and take him to jail."

Gutierrez tried tasering Jean but his Taser malfunctioned. He then shot and killed Jean.

"It happened very fast. Everything. The speed was unbelievably fast," said Gutierrez.

Coworkers quickly rushed Gutierrez to the hospital. He was released a few days later but hasn't yet returned to work.

"I'm really surprised by all the attention to that because I never really thought about it," said Gutierrez. "It's all about doing my job and taking the criminal off the street. That's my purpose, that's what I do. I don't think about stuff like that."

"It doesn't surprise me at all because he takes his role -- when he puts on that uniform -- to serve and protect this community very seriously, and that night, he did exactly that," added his wife, Laura Gutierrez. "When he saw the potential danger, he knew what he had to do and he acted very quickly."