A suspect with possible Islamic extremism ties is in custody after three police officers were injured in a machete attack near Times Square on New Year’s Eve.
The cops were attacked at approximately 10:11 p.m. on Saturday at W 52nd Street and 8th Avenue, outside a police screening area for the New Year’s Eve festivities in Times Square, New York City Police Department (NYPD) commissioner Keechant Sewell told reporters at a press conference Sunday.
“Unprovoked, a 19-year-old male approached an officer and attempted to strike him over the head with a machete. The male then struck two additional officers in the head with the machete,” Sewall said.
One of the officers fired their weapons at the suspect, hitting him in the shoulder, and he was arrested shortly after.
Two of the injured officers were taken to Bellevue Hospital, where they were noted to be in stable condition. One of the wounded officers, who had been on the force for eight years, suffered a laceration to the head. Another officer, who had graduated from the police academy on Friday, was also struck in the head and suffered a laceration injury.
Another officer, who received unknown injuries, was taken to Mount Sinai West hospital and is expected to recover.
The alleged suspect was later identified as Trevor Bickford, 19, of Wells, Maine, the New York Post reported, citing law enforcement sources.
While Bickford has no criminal history, police sources told the Post that the FBI in Boston had had the alleged suspect on their radar, including having him placed on a guardian list due to his radicalization. Furthermore, Bickford’s aunt reported his radicalization to authorities because he allegedly said he wanted to fight in Afghanistan.
Other law enforcement sources told the New York Daily News that Pickford is a “radicalized terrorist.”
The NYPD released an image of the weapon used in the attack, which commissioner Sewall described as a “large knife.”
This is the weapon that was recovered at the scene. https://t.co/Waaux2hUTt pic.twitter.com/EijU7QUgkQ
— NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) January 1, 2023
Bickford was also taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he is being treated for his injuries. His charges are pending, the Post noted.
Police are asking for anyone who has information on the incident to come forward and contact them.
You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.
