Two people in critical condition after knife-wielding woman stabs them in Times Square – before she is shot by police in front of hundreds of tourists
A knife-wielding woman stabbed two people before she was shot by police in the middle of Times Square in front of hundreds of terrified tourists.
The woman, who has not been named, was seen pointing a large knife as NYPD officers surrounded her on Monday around 4.30pm near Seventh Avenue and 42nd Street.
Frightened tourists screamed, and some of them swarmed the area as the suspect, dressed in a pink T-shirt, jeans, and a cross-body bag, charged at cops.
Several of them drew their guns and shot the woman multiple times, causing her to fall to the ground.
The woman had stabbed a man and a woman in the moments before police arrived, a source told the New York Post.
She then fled north toward the New York Police Department substation, where police confronted her and opened fire.
The women and her two victims have since been rushed to the hospital in critical condition, sources told the Post.
Meanwhile, authorities were said to have recovered the woman’s weapon as photos from the scene showed officers carrying a large kitchen knife.
Police responded to a report about a knifepoint robbery in Times Square on Monday afternoon, but authorities now believe the woman responsible did not have a clear motive for the attack
A knife-wielding woman was shot by police in the middle of Times Square as hundreds of terrified tourists watched on. She stabbed a man and a woman before shots rang out
The woman and her two victims have since been rushed to a local hospital in critical condition
The incident had initially been reported as a knifepoint robbery, but officers now believe the emotionally-disturbed woman had no clear motive for the attack, ABC 7 reports.
The NYPD has urged people to avoid the area while they investigate.
When contacted by the Daily Mail, an NYPD spokesperson said there is ‘no further information at this time.’
A witness at the scene said he recorded the moment with his smart glasses and that the woman was allegedly armed with two knives.
‘She ran by me at the corner and she had two knives in her hands,’ they told PIX11.
‘She ran down, the cops went by, they surrounded her, talked to her for like five minutes.’
The person said the woman was tased by officers, but when she rushed toward them, officers shot her with a gun.
‘They shot her twice,’ the witness told the outlet.
Sources told PIX11 that they don’t believe the incident is terror-related.
The NYPD has urged people to avoid the area while they investigate
Chaos unfolded in one of New York City’s busiest tourist destinations on Monday afternoon
The incident comes about two weeks after a 54-year-old man was fatally shot by NYPD officers after he ran toward them with a butcher’s knife.
At the time, officers were responding to reports of an assault inside a building on the Lower East Side.
The Daily Mail approached the NYPD for comment.
Breaking news… updates to follow.
