Cops: Man stabs ex-girlfriend as kids sleep

An East Hampton man stabbed his estranged girlfriend several times while several of her children were sleeping nearby in the same house, East Hampton police said Monday.

The injured woman, Noemi Sanchez, 40, of Squaw Road, East Hampton, was first taken to Southampton Hospital and then transferred to Stony Brook University Hospital for surgery, police said.

Police said her attacker, Sabas Martinez, 39, also inflicted knife wounds on himself, but after he was treated at Southampton Hospital, he was released into police custody. Martinez was charged with assault, burglary, criminal possession of a weapon and endangering the welfare of a child.

Martinez unlawfully went into Sanchez's home about 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, police said, entered a bedroom, and first shot Sanchez in the head with an air rifle, before stabbing her with a kitchen knife.

With the help of her daughters, Sanchez was able to escape the assault and notify authorities, police said.

East Hampton police officers struggled briefly with Martinez after the arrival, but were able to subdue him and take him into custody, police said.