[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 7114]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        OFFICER ANGEL CRUZ, NYPD

  (Mr. POE asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. POE. Mr. Speaker, peace officers are the first line of defense 
between the law and the lawless. Those who wear the badge sometimes go 
to unbelievable efforts to capture the bad guys.
  New York City peace officer Angel Cruz is one of those remarkable 
peace officers. Officer Cruz was trying to arrest Hugo Hernandez for a 
minor offense on a subway platform in Queens, New York when, without 
warning, Hernandez slashed the officer across the face with a knife, 
then stabbed him in the head, cracking his skull.
  Even after being stabbed, Cruz, a 15-month rookie with NYPD, was able 
to shoot and wound the outlaw.
  When backup arrived, Cruz, with blood spouting from his head, had 
chased Hernandez down the subway stairs, and was trying to handcuff 
him.
  The criminal, Hernandez, was an illegal from Guatemala who had 
already been deported for assaulting six New Jersey police officers.
  Our Nation appreciates the relentless work of Officer Cruz and NYPD.
  And as for the illegal, he should go to jail, be deported back to 
Guatemala, and Guatemala should pay restitution to Officer Cruz.
  And that's just the way it is.

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