Machete attack in NYC
Confetti rained at midnight in Times Square as revelers greeeted the new year. The crowd was a sign of a return to normal, perhaps, depending on what happens with the latest Covid variant. Earlier in the evening, however, something darker occurred nearby.
Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in an early morning press conference that a man wielding a machete attacked a group of city police officers just after 10 p.m. near a security checkpoint for the New Year’s Eve event. The 19-year-old struck several officers in the head before he was shot in the shoulder, wounded, and apprehended by officers. Three officers were hospitalized and in stable condition, one with a head fracture, another with a severe laceration.
Reporting is preliminary, but the attack is under investigation to determine whether it fits a terrorism profile (CNN):
The FBI, NYPD and Joint Terrorism Task Force are investigating, officials said in an early New Year’s Day joint news conference.
“I want to be very clear … there is no ongoing threat,” said Mike Driscoll, the FBI assistant director in charge of the New York field office.
“We believe this was a sole individual at this time,” he said, adding, “There is nothing to indicate otherwise.”
But authorities will “will run every lead to the ground,” Driscoll said.
The attack and subsequent gunfire rattled the crowds nearby. Video from the scene showed people running up Eighth Avenue and across 52nd Street in the rain, trying to hurriedly navigate the slick sidewalks and streets filled with metal barricades. Officers screamed over blaring sirens, ordering people to move in various directions — and out of the way.
Within roughly 30 minutes of the attack, the New York Police Department warned of a heavy police presence and a continuing investigation in the area.
The New Year’s Eve party in Times Square went on as planned.
NBC New York offers this on the suspect, Trevor Bickford of Wells, Maine:
A preliminary review shows the man has no previous arrests but he was known to federal and local law enforcement because of previous online postings, the sources added.
Maybe I should not have watched Hotel Rwanda over the holidays.
Happy New Year.