Irish-American detective wounded by rampaging assailant

An Irish American detective has been released from hospital on Friday evening after he was attacked with a meat cleaver.

A man wielding an 11in meat cleaver near Pennsylvania Station and resisting police officers’ efforts to catch him on Thursday slashed an off-duty detective in the head before being shot by the police, the authorities said, in an episode that sent commuters and tourists fleeing during the evening rush.

It started when the police confronted a man who was trying to remove a “boot” device attached to a tire on his car, officials said, and escalated into a chaotic chase through Midtown Manhattan that ended with officers shooting at him 18 times.

The man, Akram Joudeh (32) was critically injured and taken to Bellevue Hospital Center, said police. The off-duty detective, identified by the police as Brian O’Donnell, was in serious condition. Four other officers were taken to the center, two with serious injuries and two with minor ones.

The episode began about 5pm at West 32nd Street and Broadway when several officers responded to a report that Joudeh was trying to remove the device, said police commissioner William J Bratton. The police said they believed Joudeh, whose last known residence was in Queens, was living out of his car.

The chief of department, James O’Neill, said Joudeh pulled a cleaver from his waist band, threatened the officers and then fled. At one point, the chief said, the man mounted the front grill of a marked police car that had responded to the call. As officers pursued him, a uniformed sergeant “deployed a Taser, striking the suspect without apparent effect”, said Mr O’Neill.

Criminal history

As Joudeh ran along West 32nd Street, Det O’Donnell tried to stop him. He was struck in the head with the cleaver, “causing an approximate 6in gash from his temple about down to his jaw”, said Mr O’Neill.

Officers then fired at the man, striking him several times, said Mr O’Neill. Officials said Joudeh had several past arrests, but they would not elaborate on his criminal history. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor of larceny and was sentenced to 90 days, according to public records. In 2009, he was charged with grand larceny and criminal possession of stolen property, but those felonies were dismissed, records show. He pleaded guilty to unauthorised use of a vehicle and was fined, but served no jail time.

Asked about the possibility that the attack might have been tied to terrorism, Mr O’Neill replied: “As part of our investigation, nothing’s off the table.”

The chase left commuters and tourists scurrying for cover as officers flooded the area during the start of the evening rush near a transit hub. Mr Bratton addressed concerns that so many shots were fired in such a busy area. “Sufficient shots were fired to deter the attack on my officers,” he said. Richard DeWald, a nurse, said he narrowly avoided Joudeh during the pursuit. “He just seemed wild and crazy,” said Mr DeWald. “First there was yelling and then all I heard was the gunshots.”

Witnesses said they saw Joudeh on the corner of 32nd Street and Avenue of the Americas, clutching a large meat cleaver to his chest. They said he was silent and his face was expressionless.

“He didn’t say a word, that’s the thing,” said 28-year-old Jonathan Schneier who watched the episode unfold from across the street. Schneier said the officers, shouting, “Drop the weapon!” pointed their guns at the man, who appeared “flustered.”

“He just looked like a crazy guy with a huge weapon,” said Mr Schneier. “He just literally looked like a deer in headlights.” He said the man began “sprinting as fast as he could” and was pursued by police. About 10 seconds after that, Mr Schneier said he heard gunshots.