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New York police officer suffers head gash from cleaver-wielding assailant
An off-duty police officer was struck in the head with a meat cleaver as he assisted two other officers in subduing a suspect
The officer was struck in the head while the officers attempted to subdue the suspect who had jumped on top of a police car
An assailant wielding a meat cleaver struck a New York City police officer in the head on Thursday in midtown Manhattan.
Two other officers who pursued the suspect were also injured during the incident, police said.
The attack occurred after two on-duty officers were responding to reports of a crime in progress just before 10pm CET near Madison Square Garden, NYPD spokeswoman Sophia Mason said.
Three officers were taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
According to Mason, the man drew the cleaver from his waist band after two of the officers confronted him. The suspect then reportedly ran away.
“A stun gun had no apparent affect on him,” Mason added.
The third officer, who was off-duty and in the area at the time, helped chase the suspect, Mason said. He was reportedly struck in the head, causing a gash, while the officers attempted to subdue the suspect who had jumped on top of a police car.
“After the officer was struck, police opened fire on the suspect, striking him multiple times,” Mason said.
