A woman who stabbed two strangers near Times Square was shot by NYPD cops Monday after refusing to drop the two knives she was swinging as she approached them, according to witnesses and law enforcement.
The condition of the victims, a man and a woman, was not immediately known.
The suspect, who was shot at Seventh Ave. and W. 43rd St. about 4:25 p.m.is in critical condition.
Construction worker Jorge Disla was heading home when he came upon the scene and recorded on his phone the woman swinging a knife in each hand.
“The police tried to speak with her,” said Disla, 57. “They were shouting, ‘Drop the knives!’
But the lady was swinging the knives. She got closer and closer. She swung them closer to the police, who initially tried to subdue her with a taser before shooting her, source said.
The woman’s first victim was stabbed at the corner of W. 41st St. and Seventh Ave; the second was outside the subway entrance at W. 42nd St. and Seventh Ave. The woman then headed uptown ti 43rd st,, where police encountered her as she wielded the knives
The video shows a woman in a pink shirt in a standoff with cops, who surround her outside a police station. She begins to swing the knives as she approaches the officers when shots can be heard and she collapses.
Another witness told the Daily News they saw the aftermath of the stabbings before police arrived on the scene.
“I was crossing at 42nd St. I saw a guy bleeding profusely from his right leg. He was gushing blood, saying, ‘I need help. Help me,’” said Linda Ruiz, 58.
“I went to get a cop on the corner and there was another lady on the floor. She was stabbed in the back or in the chest,” said Ruiz. “I couldn’t tell. There was a lot of blood. She wasn’t conscious. The police were trying to resuscitate her. But she wasn’t moving. It was horrible.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.