A worker cleans the street after the first public New Year’s Eve event since the Covid-19 pandemic, in Times Square in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York, U.S., January 1, 2023 .
Andrew Kelly | Reuters
Three New York City police officers were injured after being attacked with a machete near a New Year’s Eve celebration in Times Square, authorities said.
The incident happened shortly after 10 p.m. ET at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue, just outside a high-security area where revelers are screened at checkpoints, officials said in a statement. press conference early Sunday.
Commissioner Keechant Sewell said the suspect approached an officer and attempted to strike him in the head with a machete. He then stabbed two officers in the head with the blade before being shot in the shoulder and arrested by police, Sewell said.
The officers were hospitalized, one with a skull fracture and another with severe cuts, but were all in stable condition, Sewell added. He said the suspect was also taken to the hospital.
Mayor Eric Adams told a news conference he spoke to one of the injured officers. “He understood that his role saved the lives of New Yorkers today,” Adams said.
