Elderly woman ends possible knife fight

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- A 73-year-old woman who uses a wheelchair got in the middle of a potential knife fight. She heard the commotion outside her apartment, saw the two men, and knew she had to do something.

This is the type of lady every neighborhood would want. When she sees something she says something and in this instance she stepped into a very dangerous situation and possibly saved someone from getting hurt.

"A lot of people would call you brave or crazy," said News 8's Stephanie Simoni.

"Crazy more than likely," said the woman.

She didn't want to reveal her identity, but this 73-year-old New Haven woman heard fighting outside her apartment so she went into the hallway and says she saw her neighbor Clarence Johnson.

"I said to him what is going on? He says 'I'm sick and tired of him threatening me' and at that point I looked down and I saw he had a knife," said the woman.

She says she had to step in. Police say Johnson was demanding money with a knife and threatened to kill her other neighbor, 40-year-old Earnest Perry.

"All I knew was he was extremely upset and angry as he was, he could have hurt somebody, but he wouldn't have hurt me," said the woman.

She described the weapon.

"A butcher knife about that long," said the woman.

"And you weren't scared at all," asked News 8's Simoni.

"No," the woman said.

That's because she says Johnson respects her. He lives down the hall and she told him...

"Give it to me and he handed it to me and I turned around brought it back in the house and put it in the closet and that's where it stayed until the cops came and got it," said the woman.

She knows police do not recommend people getting involved in situations like this, but she often gets involved when it comes to where she lives.

"This is my home. This is my unit, it's not a rental. This is mine and I want it safe," said the woman.