Jeff Saint-Gerard, 28, of Bethpage, is accused of stabbing a...

Jeff Saint-Gerard, 28, of Bethpage, is accused of stabbing a 29-year-old man and a 16-year-old after attempting to hit them with his car during an argument on Thursday, Dec. 31, 2015. His lawyer said at his arraignment Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016, that he was defending himself and his young daughter from the two stabbing victims. Credit: NCPD

A Bethpage man who allegedly stabbed and tried to run over several people on New Year’s Eve was held on $500,000 bond after his arraignment Saturday in First District Court in Hempstead.

The Legal Aid attorney for Jeff Saint-Gerard, 28, of 7 Manchester Dr., said in court that the suspect was defending himself and his young daughter from the two stabbing victims, who Saint-Gerard contends had attacked him first in front of his home.

He was arraigned on two counts of first-degree assault, two counts of criminal possession of a weapon and two counts of reckless endangerment.

Nassau County police said in a news release that Saint-Gerard was arguing with a 29-year-old man and a 16-year-old when the argument “escalated.” Saint-Gerard tried to hit the two and — according to prosecutors — one other person with his 2012 Volkswagen Jetta.

After Saint-Gerard failed to strike them, he got out of his car and stabbed the man in the face, left arm and chest, and stabbed the teenager in the chest, police said.

The court issued orders of protection mandating that Saint-Gerard stay away from the three people he allegedly tried to run over.

A prosecutor said in court that one victim suffered a collapsed lung and the other a punctured lung.

Saint-Gerard has a prior arrest for attempted assault, prosecutors said. His Legal Aid attorney said he is married with two children.

A police spokeswoman said Friday that it was not clear what caused the argument. Saint-Gerard was arrested at his home, and a knife was recovered at the scene, authorities said.

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