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Deputy critically injured in fall while serving warrant

WILKINSBURG, Pa. — An Allegheny County sheriff’s deputy remains in the hospital after being critically injured trying to arrest a fugitive Saturday.

Deputy Carlos Jativa, 29, fell from a 15-foot concrete wall while serving an arrest warrant for fugitive Dale Taylor Jr. at a Wilkinsburg home.

Jativa was transported to the hospital, where he underwent emergency surgery and remains in the trauma unit. The decorated Marine Corps veteran is now pushing through his second traumatic brain injury with 40 staples in his head. He nearly died years ago when his Humvee hit an IED in Iraq, sending it off a bridge.

He's also a Golden Gloves boxing champ.

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"This is a kid who has constantly put himself in harm's way willingly without ever complaining,"  said Jeff Mucci, owner of Wolfpack Boxing Club.

Sheriff deputies tried to serve warrants for Taylor Jr. at the same home Friday evening when he jumped from a third story window in a bath towel onto a second-floor rooftop then into a neighbor’s yard where he fled into the woods.

"Literally fell head first off 15 foot wall, landing on his head, it scalped the whole side of his head," Mucci said, speaking of Jativa,

A decorated U.S. Marine needs help and prayers tonight. Carlos Jativa is the Allegheny County Sheriff's Deputy who fell...

Posted by WPXI Cara Sapida on Tuesday, August 29, 2017

According to a GoFundMe page set up for Jativa, he has a severe concussion, had to have his scalp reattached by a plastic surgeon and lost vision in his left eye.  But the tight-knit boxing community says despite Jativa's pain and loss of vision, he asked when he can get back to work.

"That's a mentality, to chase down bad guys not knowing whats going to happen and then say, lets get this stitched up, true and true," Mucci said.

You can find the GoFundMe page here.