A man was fatally shot by police in Grand Central Station after he allegedly stabbed three people on subway platforms on Saturday morning, prompting the closure of some subway stops, according to the NYPD and the MTA.
The alleged stabber, Anthony Griffin, 44, was pronounced dead at a hospital, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said.
Two police officers approached Griffin about 9:40 a.m. on the 4-5-6 platform, Tisch said. Griffin was “armed with a long knife, described as a machete,” she said at a Saturday afternoon news conference at Grand Central.
He was “behaving erratically, repeatedly stating that he was Lucifer,” Tisch said. “The individual failed to comply with at least 20 orders to drop the knife.”
When Griffin approached the officers with the knife, one of the officers discharged his firearm, striking Griffin twice, Tisch said.
Griffin had three unsealed prior arrests, Tisch said.
He slashed one individual on the 7 train platform, before slashing the other two victims on the 4-5-6 platform.
The injuries of the three victims are not believed to be “life-threatening,” Tisch said.
NYPD Crime Stoppers photograph of the long knife, described as a machete, that suspect Anthony Griffin allegedly used to slash three people on subway platforms at Grand Central on Saturday morning. Credit: NYPD Crime Stoppers
One victim, an 84-year-old man, sustained significant lacerations to the head and face. A 65-year-old man “sustained similar injuries, as well as an open-skull fracture.” A 70-year-old woman also was attacked, the NYPD said.
“Our officers confronted an armed individual who had already injured multiple people and continued to pose a threat,” Tisch said.
“They attempted to de-escalate and when that threat did not stop, they took decisive action to stop and to protect New Yorkers at one of the busiest train platforms in the city.”
Joseph Gulotta, NYPD’s chief of transit, said it did not appear that the victims knew each other. The victims were all transported to a hospital and were in stable condition as of late Saturday morning, the NYPD said.
The 7 train was running on a delay after resuming stops at Grand Central Station in both directions by 2 p.m., according to an MTA spokesman. The length of the delay was not immediately clear.
The 4, 5 and 6 trains were still bypassing Grand Central Station as of about 2 p.m. The MTA spokesman said he did not know when those routes would resume service.
The two NYPD officers who initially responded to the scene also were transported to the hospital for an evaluation, the agency spokesman said.
Yellow caution tape was tied around the turnstiles at the 4-5-6 platform, which cut a different scene than a typical Saturday afternoon: quiet and empty, save for the NYPD officers guarding the entrance.
Check back for updates on this developing story.