NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – An NYPD officer was slashed across the face while restraining a suspect on Manhattan’s East Side on Tuesday afternoon, police said, as the NYPD union called out "record" attacks on cops.
The officer was attacked around 3:45 p.m. at East 20th Street and Third Avenue in Gramercy as police were responding to an assault in progress involving a male suspect.
According to the NYPD, the suspect was attempting to attack someone as the officer was restraining him, leading to him slashing the officer across the forehead.
Police weren’t immediately able to confirm what the officer was slashed with, though reports indicate it was a broken ceramic plate.
The injured cop was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue for treatment.
Citizen App video shows a bloodied person being led to an ambulance by police. It’s unclear if it’s the officer or someone else.
The suspect was taken into custody, with charges against him pending on Wednesday.
The Police Benevolent Association, which represents NYPD officers, said in a statement that the union was “grateful that our brother is recovering.”
“However, cops across this city are still being attacked by violent suspects at a record pace, resulting in nearly 3,000 injuries to cops in the first half of this year alone,” the PBA added. “The reason for this epidemic is clear: our justice and mental health systems are failing to keep dangerous individuals off the streets. We need New Yorkers to keep standing with us to hold those systems accountable.”
According to the latest use of force data from the NYPD, there were 2,982 officer injuries in the first two quarters of 2024.