3 people stabbed and suspect fatally shot by officer on subway platform at Grand Central, police say

By Gloria Pazmino, Mark Morales, Ray Sanchez, John Miller, CNN

(CNN) — A machete-wielding suspect who called himself “Lucifer” stabbed three people on a subway platform at Midtown Manhattan’s Grand Central Terminal on Saturday before officers fatally shot him, according to the New York Police Department.

The violence erupted around 9:40 a.m. ET on a platform beneath Grand Central, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference Saturday afternoon.

The suspect, who was behaving erratically and carrying a machete, was ordered at least 20 times to drop the weapon before he approached officers “with the knife extended,” Tisch said. Police shot the man and he later died from his injuries, the commissioner said.

The suspect was identified by police as 44-year-old Anthony Griffin.

Tisch said the incident was captured on police body-worn cameras, including Griffin “repeatedly stating that he was Lucifer.”

“Random acts of violence scare everyone,” Tisch said in a response to a question from CNN’s Gloria Pazmino. “Anyone can be a victim of a random act of violence, and that is why it is so important for New Yorkers to understand that the NYPD has recently upped our presence in the transit system, including right here in Grand Central station.”

Tisch said incident reflected the reality of the danger officers face.

“They gave clear commands,” she said of the officers. “They attempted to de-escalate, and when that threat did not stop, they took decisive action to stop it and to protect New Yorkers on one of the busiest train platforms in the city.”

The incident occurred at a time of heightened concerns about safety and disorder on the subway following wake of a series of disturbing and random attacks in recent years. Tisch said more than 175 additional officers were recently added to subway patrols.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said on social media that “innocent people were attacked in a senseless act of violence.”

“I’m grateful to our brave officers who acted quickly to stop the suspect,” she added.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in a statement, thanked the NYPD for its “quick response and for preventing more violence.”

“NYPD is conducting an internal investigation and will release body-worn camera footage, as it does in all incidents involving the discharge of an officer’s firearm,” he said.

The three victims – two men, ages 84 and 65, and a 70-year-old woman – were transported to a hospital where they are expected to survive. Two victims sustained lacerations to the head and face, Tisch said. One suffered an open skull fracture and another a laceration to the shoulder.

The suspect was on a subway train before the incident and then moved out onto the platform, a law enforcement official told CNN.

The suspect was known to police and had more than a dozen arrests, including for menacing and slashing at people with a sharp object, according to two law enforcement sources. He had been arrested in 2019 for felony assault with a weapon, sources said.

Grand Central Terminal is a major New York City transit hub that includes four subway lines and a crosstown shuttle, as well as connections to two commuter rail lines.

The incident does not appear to be linked to terrorism at this stage of the investigation, according to the law enforcement official.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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