A police officer was stabbed in Coney Island Thursday afternoon by a man who was shot by police just minutes earlier.
The incident took place at about 1 pm near both the 60th precinct and the Brooklyn Department of Motor Vehicles on West 8th Street. An unidentified man had stopped his car in the middle of traffic on West 8th Street, causing a bottleneck, and gotten out of his car holding two knives, including a 16-inch machete, said Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell at a press conference outside the 60th Precinct.
When an officer in the vicinity began approaching the stopped car, the man began rushing at the cop with his knife raised, Sewell said. When other officers in the vicinity, alerted by passersby, advanced on the scene, the man started rushing on them.
Sewell said one of the officers fired four shots at the man, hitting him in the leg and shoulder, after he continued rushing at them with knife in hand, despite officers ordering him to drop it.
The incident didn’t stop there, she said, noting that the man didn’t release his grip on the knife even after collapsing and being tackled by officers. At that point, she said, the man sliced one of the tackling officer’s hands open. Police did not clarify whether the officer stabbed was the same one who had shot him.
Video obtained by Gothamist from a witness shows a massive scrum of officers rushing to the man on the ground in an effort to fully subdue him. Sewell said the entire incident was captured on body-worn cameras donned by officers.
Both the suspect and the stabbed officer were taken to Coney Island Hospital with minor injuries. Cops did not reveal the man’s identity beyond that he is 57-years-old and lives in Brooklyn. His motive remains unknown.
“I have to commend the actions of these brave officers,” Sewell said. “I have watched these videos. While we don’t yet know the motive behind this attack, we certainly know that the actions of these officers exemplifies what it means to be New York’s finest.”
The officer was released from the hospital at about 5 pm after getting stitches, and was met with applause from fellow officers, Sewell, and Mayor Eric Adams.
“This is a New York story. The family loves to serve,” the mayor said. “These officers showed a great level of restraint. We are looking at the results of an officer going home and a suspect apprehended.”
The suspect — whose identity police released late Thursday night — was arrested just before midnight within the confines of the 60th Precinct, where the incident occurred. The alleged perp, 57-year-old Coney Island resident Richard Paris, has been charged with assault on a police officer, two counts of attempted assault, two counts of menacing a police officer and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
Update (8:30 am, May 6): This story has been updated to include arrest information.
Correction (5 pm, May 5): The headline and body of this story have been updated to reflect that the man was shot before stabbing an officer, not the reverse as initially reported.
