NEW YORK CITY (WPIX) – New York State Court officers were stabbed and slashed inside a lower Manhattan court Monday morning, officials said.
The attack happened around 9:45 a.m. in the lobby of the criminal court, according to Al Baker, communications director at the state Office of Court Administration.
Officers rushed over and disarmed the attacker, then took him into custody, Baker said.
“The assaults, captured on surveillance video, appeared preliminarily to be a targeted attack of the uniformed officers working security details at the courthouse,” Baker said.
The New York City Fire Department told Nexstar’s WPIX it brought three people to the hospital with minor injuries.
A representative of the New York State Supreme Court Officers Association said the group recently launched a campaign rallying for safer conditions.
“What will it take for court leaders to take the appropriate action to secure these facilities? Our members aren’t safe and neither is the public,” said Patrick Cullen, president of the association.