FILE – Police investigate a crime scene
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
An off-duty Brooklyn police officer was stabbed at a popular Queens nightlife strip early Wednesday morning, authorities said.
According to police sources, the incident unfolded at around 1 a.m. on July 22 along Bell Boulevard near 39th Avenue in Bayside.
Sources familiar with the investigation said the 30-year-old cop, who is assigned to the 69th Precinct in Brooklyn and was off-duty at the time, was walking with his friend when two men in bicycles approached them from behind and said something in Spanish.
According to police sources, the incident unfolded at around 1 a.m. on July 22 along Bell Boulevard near 39th Avenue in Bayside.Photo via Google Maps
Although the officer did not understand the remarks, the sources said, an altercation ensued — leading to one of the suspects pulling out a knife and stabbing the off-duty cop in the right hand. Following the attack, the perpetrators fled on foot northbound along Bell Boulevard.
Officers from the 111th Precinct responded to the incident. The wounded cop, a seven-year NYPD member, was treated at NewYork-Presbyterian Queens Hospital for injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
So far, no arrests have been made in the ongoing investigation, police said.
Anyone with information regarding the attack can call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS (for Spanish, dial 888-57-PISTA). You can also submit tips online at crimestoppers.nypdonline.org, or on X (formerly Twitter) @NYPDTips. All calls and messages are kept confidential.