A seasoned NYPD detective who nearly a decade ago jumped into action to save the life of a Russian tourist stabbed by a madman while visiting Los Angeles was promoted Thursday – as he urged his fellow Finest to “be the person who helps.”
Albert Ramos, 58, who joined the NYPD in 1994, reflected on the heart-pounding November 2015 ordeal as he was promoted to Detective First Grade along with five other cops at One Police Plaza.
“We did our job, but the most impactful moment was when I came home and my son was 11 years old at the time and he said, ‘Dad, I’m so proud of you,’” Ramos told The Post. “And that’s when I knew that, hey…you don’t need to be recognized, but that’s what it’s all about, helping people – being part of this great organization, which I just can’t see myself leaving.”
“I love it. And I’m happy that I was able to make First Grade and keep going,” he said, alongside his wife Lori and college student son Albert, who plays baseball at Adelphi University.
Ramos and his now-retired partner Detective Dan Mulligan were on assignment in the City of Angels – looking to extradite the suspects in an unrelated crime – but off-duty on a Starbucks coffee break when they heard panicked screams coming from just outside.
“We heard some screams, and two young little girls ran past me, and I saw two guys fighting,” Ramos said. “One had a knife, and the other guy was protecting himself from the guy with the knife.”
The armed man slashed the tourist in the throat – and was aiming the blade at his chest – when Ramos pulled out his gun as he disarmed the attacker, he said.
“My training kicked in,” Ramos said. “My partner was there – it was just a good moment for us to be there. We saved his life. And it was a good feeling.”
Then a friendly local construction worker realized neither Ramos or Mulligan were equipped with handcuffs and stepped in to help, he recalled.
“There’s a guy working, like a carpenter,” Ramos said. “And he just strolled over and he goes, ‘Hey, dude, could you use some zip ties?’”
“I said, ‘Absolutely. I could use zip ties,’” the detective recalled. “And we got them, and then we called 911, and we got the cops coming.”
The suspect – identified by local media as 54-year-old Donald Offerman – was arrested and charged with attempted murder, and later ordered held on $500,000 bail.
In the aftermath of the heinous crime, the victim’s young daughters sent a heartfelt handwritten letter to Ramos and Mulligan.
“Thanks to you he is alive now,” they wrote, alongside a drawing of an angel, with the word “You” next to it.
“That’s what it’s all about,” Ramos said. “I mean… you gotta put it in perspective. Yeah, you can’t just be the cop that helps. You gotta be the person who helps, and then you’ll be an even better cop.”
Ramos – originally from Manhattan and now living in Queens – served in multiple precincts across Brooklyn North, including as a narcotics officer, before working within the Detective Squad in Manhattan’s 6th Precinct.
He currently serves as a detective within the Queens DA Squad.
“I’ve been through a lot in the police department, and it was always great,” he said. “I love [coming] into work every day.”
Dozens of cops – ranging in rank from detective to deputy inspector, were promoted Thursday.
Commissioner Jessica Tisch said their promotions are “confirmation that you’ve had the highest standards of this profession, judgment in moments of consequence, leadership under pressure, and dedication to a mission that is larger than yourself, protecting the people of New York City.”
