Jose Mercedes, the off-duty NYPD detective who was attacked and robbed in Norwood on Oct. 2, met the media Tuesday to speak for the first time since the incident.

Mercedes says he was stabbed 10 times. He had stitches visible on his right arm, while his left arm was wrapped in a cast. He said he needed surgery on it, and was still working to get motion back in his left hand.

Mercedes told reporters that he was using vacation time to try to get a break from crime when he was attacked.

"I told them in English, I told them in Spanish that I was a police officer. They didn't care," he said. "I almost died."

Even though he was bleeding, Mercedes says he tried to chase his attackers for about five blocks before he asked someone for help, and they called 911.

"We receive an enormous amount of training in the NYPD, and a lot of it becomes instinctive to how we act in times of distress," he explained, saying that his main goal was to be able to give responders the best possible description of the suspects.

As for the two men, they were arrested in Massachusetts and were also brought back to the Bronx on Tuesday, where they are awaiting arraignment.