AUGUSTA — A city man allegedly stabbed his wife Friday while a police officer tried to get him to let go of her, later saying he hoped police would shoot him.

Marlon E. Cloutier, 60, was charged with domestic violence elevated aggravated assault, after Augusta police arrested him in connection with the incident.

Augusta patrol officer Aaron Paradis wrote in an affidavit that he was sitting inside his cruiser around 3:30 p.m. in a parking lot at 143 Mount Vernon Ave. when he saw a man and woman, followed by a German shepherd, running south on the sidewalk, past his cruiser. The woman seemed to be in some sort of crisis and the man appeared to be either trying to help her, or chasing her, Paradis wrote.

When Paradis caught up to the couple at a gas station parking lot, he asked what was going on and the man later identified as Cloutier said, “This is my wife.”

Paradis got out of his cruiser, noticing that the pair had fallen down on the sidewalk. Cloutier had his left arm around the woman’s back and was holding the back of her hair with his left hand. Paradis told Cloutier to let go of the woman, but he refused to let go. Paradis said as he started to “put hands” on Cloutier , the man quickly moved his right arm toward the woman like he was punching her. Cloutier then let go of the woman and threw his arm back toward a snowbank, letting go of an object.

The affidavit states the officer then noticed the left upper arm of the woman’s shirt had been opened and he could see her arm had been stabbed. He then saw the object allegedly thrown into the snowbank by Cloutier was a large knife with a blade several inches long.

Paradis called for additional officers and told Cloutier to put his hands behind his back, which he did, and put the man in handcuffs and called for an ambulance for the woman. Another officer put a tourniquet on the woman’s left arm.

The woman was taken to the hospital for treatment for a stab wound that, the affidavit said, “went entirely through her arm.” A MaineGeneral hospital spokesperson said Monday the woman had been treated and released.

The woman told police she and Cloutier had been arguing and he found out she was planning to leave him. She told police she did not know he had a knife.

Cloutier told police he’d been depressed lately for several reasons. He told police he made comments to the woman about ending his life, either by drug overdose or by getting a police officer to shoot him.

“During questioning, Marlon (Cloutier) stated he saw an opportunity to have me shoot him and lost control by stabbing his wife,” Paradis’ affidavit states. “Marlon states he didn’t want to hurt his wife and he just wanted me to shoot him.”

Cloutier, who was out on bail at the time, was arrested on charges of domestic violence elevated aggravated assault, a Class A felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison, and violating condition of release. He was taken to Kennebec County jail in Augusta, with no bail.