It happened inside the Healthy Green Gourmet at Third Avenue and East 10th Street in the East Village around 6:40 a.m.
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Authorities say two officers entered the deli and were followed inside by a 55-year-old man who began menacing the clerk with a foot-long Defender Xtreme hunting knife, nicknamed a "Rambo knife."
The officers intervened, with one of them deploying a Taser that was ineffective in stopping the suspect's advances.
Police say the suspect attempted to exit the store, and in the course of doing so shoved the second officer as the two exited the establishment.
Once outside, they say the man continued to motion towards his waistband and refused the officer's repeated demands to stop his aggressive advances.
The officer, as well as an additional responding officer to the location, discharged their firearms.
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The suspect was struck in the arm and torso and was subsequently taken to Bellevue Hospital in stable condition.
Four officers were taken to Lenox Health Greenwich Village to be evaluated.
Authorities say the 55-year-old suspect has a history of mental problems and had expressed distress over the George Floyd killing and the protests.
He had recently wondered out loud when violence against black people was going to end and when the cops would learn how to act.
The investigation remains active and ongoing.
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