CBS2 Exclusive: Hero Cop Forgives Man Involved In Crime That Nearly Killed Him
NEW YORK, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) -- A hero cop was in court Wednesday for justice, not revenge.
Detective Ivan Marcano watched Wednesday as Jason Leiva was sentenced in connection with a crime that nearly cost the cop his life, CBS2's Lou Young reported.
It was Oct. 14, 2012, when Marcano -- off-duty and on a date in the Bronx -- saw a street robbery in progress and tried to intervene.
He was shot in the chest. But in remarkable video of the aftermath, he can be seen chasing the men down, clutching his wound and returning fire that killed one suspect. It was an event all the seems all the more remarkable as he describes what his injury was like.
"It hurt, I can tell you that," Marcano told Young in an exclusive interview. "It actually skipped me in my left arm, entered my left chest and protruded on the right."
He attributed the fact that he could still run and shoot to adrenaline and good training.
Marcano's courage brought him acclaim from his peers, his bosses and even President Barack Obama.
The shooter died at the scene. Leiva was the getaway driver. He pleaded guilty to attempted armed robbery and was sentenced to four years in prison and five years' probation.
In a crime in which a cop was shot, it could have been worse for him. But Marcano said it's a just sentence.
"Everyone deserves a second chance," he said. "And I don't have no anger towards the guy. I don't hate the guy. I actually forgive the guy, and I wish I would have told him that. I also hope he realizes that day I wasn't the only person spared that day. He was spared that day. And I hope he realizes that. And I hope he takes advantage of the second chance he got."
But is four years enough?
"A person can change in a day," Marcano said.
Marcano is now married and has an 18-month-old daughter. His wife just started her new job -- as a police officer assigned to the Bronx.