CHARLOTTE, N.C. (FOX 46 CHARLOTTE)- Quick reaction by CMPD officers saved the life of a woman and they say the incident could have been a lot worse.

It started as a road rage incident, but officers knew they needed to make sure the woman reporting the crime got to her destination safely. So, they escorted the driver to her apartment, but the woman’s ex-girlfriend was sitting in another car with the engine running.

“All the windows were up, doors were locked, she had a what I say a thousand-yard stare on her face,” said Officer Timothy Carr “Just off in the distance. She didn’t listen to a word I said for the next several minutes.”

The woman blocked in her ex-girlfriend’s car and officers tried to keep the victim calm.

“She was hiding her right hand under her leg and to us that is another alarm bell,” said Carr. “Red flag saying hey, something is about to happen.”

Police say the woman had a decent sized folding knife under her leg, and it was already open.

“She took several slashes at her throat,” added Carr.

“The initial reaction was what’s going on right now,” said Ryan Wood, who was on the opposite side of the car.

Officers Lucas Spears, Timothy Carr, and Ryan Wood were on the scene and sprang into action. Wood used his baton to break the passenger side window.

“With enough swings I knew I would be able to get through it, says Wood. “It was a matter of determination and will as to how long it would take. Fortunately, it was two swings before we were able to break it.”

The officers administered aid until EMS workers arrived and transported the woman to the hospital.

“The good thing about a situation like that, as soon as something happens you go immediately to your training,” added Carr. “None of us had to really speak at all, we just knew what had to happen.

So far, no charges have been filed, and the woman is currently recovering in a local hospital.