Police in Manhattan said that an attacker who was chasing people with a knife was shot by NYPD officers on Saturday after a taser failed to subdue him.
Around 5:30 in the evening, a resident came into the 23rd precinct on 102nd Street in East Harlem and reported to the police officers stationed there that an “irate” man was outside attacking people with a knife.
“A uniformed sergeant and two police officers exited the precinct to provide assistance”, NYPD Assistant Chief Ruel Stevenson told reporters. “The officers crossed the street and saw the male armed with a knife running and attempting to stab a victim,” Stevenson said.
The 36-year-old suspect persisted in pursuing the victim despite repeated orders from the authorities to put down the knife. According to police, he raced after the victim once again after making a knife-wielding lunge at an officer in the street. The suspect then rushed at a second officer, who used a taser in an “ineffective” way, according to Stevenson.
The assailant eventually threw a knife at another officer’s face, missing her by “mere inches”, leading a sergeant to shoot him in the butt.
After being taken into custody, the suspect was transported in stable condition to Mount Sinai Morningside Hospital. According to Stevenson, the individual has a history of mental illness and is well-known to the police force. He was taken away and examined at a nearby hospital following his two violent interactions with the police in May.
