An unprecedented scene of violence shook the Brooklyn neighborhood of Bensonhurst yesterday, when a man armed with a cleaver brutally attacked four teenagers and children inside a home, causing them severe injuries, before being neutralized by the police. NYPD officers intervened promptly, arresting the suspect but the community has suffered a shock.
The attack allegedly occurred around 10:15 AM when a young girl, shaken, managed to take refuge in a room and call 911. According to statements from Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the 11-year-old reported that her uncle was stabbing her sisters.
Upon reaching the location, the police had to force open the front door to break into the house from which screams were heard. Inside, they found a man, identified as Lun Chang Chen, standing near the exit, holding a bloody cleaver.
Despite orders to drop the weapon, the 49-year-old advanced menacingly toward the officers, who responded by firing seven shots that hit the criminal and ended the assault.
The four occupants of the apartment, aged 16, 13, 11, and 8, were urgently transported to Maimonides Medical Center for “serious lacerations,” but none were declared to be in life-threatening condition.
Chang Chen was also transported to the hospital, where his condition remains critical. Law enforcement believes the man resided in the apartment where the incident took place, but the motive remains unknown and under investigation.
