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A man inside a Home Depot store in West Covina Wednesday afternoon grabbed a hold of several saws and cut his own arms down to the bone.
The unidentified man had apparently taken the hand saws off the shelves at the store, according to City News Service.
"He just began sawing away," Cpl. Rudy Lopez of the West Covina Police Department told The L.A. Times, adding: "He was pretty much intent on doing what he did."
Also inside the store was off-duty Pasadena Fire Department Capt. Art Hurtado, who was able to think quickly and provide first aid treatment, using rags and twine to fashion makeshift tourniquets. Hurtado told NBC Los Angeles even though he wasn't on the job, he and his fellow emergency responders are "always in work mode."
Hurtado said the man, who had been spotted face down in the aisle in a pool of blood, had only a faint pulse and was barely breathing.
Ultimately the man was transported to Queen of the Valley Hospital where he remains today.
Police say that if the man survives, it will be largely due to Hurtado's life-saving actions. They also noted that the man did not have any identification on him, but was described as possibly Latino in his late 30s to early 40s, reports the San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
The Home Depot store was closed the remainder of the day following the incident.
Update: Surgeons Save Arms Of Man Who Sawed Them To The Bone At Home Depot
