Police shoot man in buttocks after he lunges at officer with knife in East Harlem
EAST HARLEM, Manhattan (WABC) -- Police shot a man in the buttocks after they say he was attempting to stab a group of people in East Harlem.
It happened just after 5:30 p.m. Saturday on 102nd Street and 3rd Avenue. According to officials, a man walked into a station house to inform police that the suspect was armed with a knife and was attempting to stab people.
Officers crossed the street and saw the armed man running, attempting to stab a victim.
"The situation was extremely chaotic and fast. The officers gave numerous verbal commands to the male to drop the knife," said NYPD Assistant Chief Ruel Stephenson.
The suspect continued to lunge after the victim, and officers continued to order the suspect to drop the knife.
The man then lunged at a second officer. That officer deployed a taser which struck the man but was ineffective. As the officer discharged the taser, the man swung the knife at the officer, missing her face by a few inches.
The other officer then discharged his firearm, striking the 36-year-old man in the buttocks.
The suspect was then placed into custody and was taken to the hospital where he is in stable condition.
A knife was recovered at the scene.
No other injuries were reported.
During a press conference, officers did not release the name of the 36-year-old man, but said he has two mental health encounters with police last month.
Assistant Chief Stephenson says they are still looking into what led to this wild encounter that could have ended tragically.
"What we do know is that there was a dispute with that male and we believe four other individuals," he said.
Police described the incident as 'chaotic and fast' - only 34 seconds passed from when officers first saw the man swinging the knife to when the single shot was fired.
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