A man wielding a meat cleaver was gunned down on the streets of Manhattan after allegedly slicing an off-duty police officer in the head.
A spokesman from the New York Police Department said that a 32-year-old man was caught trying to remove a wheel clamp after his car was “booted” when all hell broke loose during peak hour on Wednesday.
Police were called to W. 32nd St. between Seventh Ave. and Broadway just before 5pm local time after several people reported a suspect running with a butcher’s knife in his hand.
The man chased a traffic agent up Sixth Ave when he was swarmed by officers, who tried to subdue him.
An off-duty officer who tried to tackle the man received a 15cm gash that extended from his temple to his jaw after trying to knock the blade from his hand.
Police said the officer was in a serious condition.
Another three officers were taken to Bellevue Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Witnesses reported several rounds of shots were fired.
A bystander, Jonathan Schneier, said when he left work to get coffee he saw a balding man holding a cleaver, surrounded by a small group of officers yelling at him to drop the knife.
One officer had a Taser out while others held handguns.
“I give credit to the police officers. They gave him many opportunities,” Schneier said.
He said the man with the knife “did not look very stable”.
Officers who chased the man tried to subdue him with a taser, however the attempt was ineffective.
The suspect has been taken into custody and transported to a nearby hospital for treatment. It’s understood he is in critical condition.
