Shooting at police station in East Harlem: Knife-wielding man shot in buttocks after attempted attack

Police officers in East Harlem shot and killed a man armed with a knife who allegedly attempted to attack a group of people and police officers just steps from a local police station, NYPD officials said Saturday night.

The suspect, a 36-year-old man, has been charged and remains in stable condition at the hospital after a sergeant shot him in the buttocks in an attempt to deter the threat, according to Assistant Chief Ruel Stevenson, commanding officer of Patrol Borough Manhattan North.

During a press conference on 1 June before the 23rd DistrictStevenson said the suspect has a documented history of mental illness, including two previous encounters with the NYPD in May. In those cases, the chief said, he was hospitalized for evaluation and later released.

Stevenson described preliminary details of the incident, which began around 5:30 p.m. on June 1, when a resident came to the 23rd Precinct station at 164 East 102nd Street and informed officers of an “angry man” armed with a knife who was “attempting to stab a group of people.”

That initial report was later confirmed by nearby surveillance cameras and officer bodycam footage, the police chief said.

A uniformed sergeant and two police officers left the station to investigate the case. Within seconds of crossing the street, the three officers spotted the suspect waving a knife, running and attempting to stab a victim.

“The situation was extremely chaotic and fast-moving,” Stevenson said. “Officers verbally ordered the man to drop the knife multiple times,” but the man refused and continued to pursue the person.

The police chief said the suspect attacked two officers with the knife. One of the officers then fired a taser, which Stevenson said had no effect on the man with the knife. He then swung the blade at the officer, missing her face by “a few inches.”

“When the sergeant saw the man attempting to injure the officer, he had no choice but to fire his weapon,” the police chief said. The sergeant fired one shot, striking the knife-wielding man in the buttocks.

Police were able to subdue the suspect, who was then transported to a local hospital for treatment, Stevenson said. The officers involved in the incident were medically evaluated; no other injuries were reported.

“This police department is the most restrained police department in the country, and we only use force as a last resort,” the chief said. “Unfortunately, today all of our attempts to de-escalate this rapidly evolving incident, which lasted 34 seconds, were unsuccessful.”

The case was referred to the NYPD’s Force Investigation Division, which investigates all incidents involving the use of force by police.