A violent stabbing incident at Grand Central Terminal in New York City has left commuters shaken after police shot a machete-wielding suspect identified as Anthony Griffin. The attack, which disrupted weekend train services, has drawn condemnation from city officials, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
In a post on X, Mamdani expressed his gratitude to the NYPD for their prompt response and for averting further unrest.
“I have been briefed on an incident that occurred at Grand Central Station this morning. Reports indicate a man slashed three people on the platform with a machete. Officers shot the man when he did not drop the machete. He has since been pronounced dead,” he wrote, adding, “I’m grateful to the NYPD for their quick response and for preventing additional violence. The three victims were taken to the hospital and are thankfully in stable condition. The 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.”
Also Read | Chick-fil-A shooting in Union, New Jersey: Many injured in mass shooting; scary videos emerge
According to a report by the New York Post, the suspect allegedly attacked individuals inside the busy transit hub before being confronted and shot by responding officers.
Authorities have not yet released full details on the suspect’s background, but initial reports and witness accounts have revealed several key aspects of the case.
5 things to know about Anthony Griffin
1. Griffin is the primary suspect of the Grand Central stabbings. Anthony Griffin, a 44-year-old man, was identified as the main suspect by two NYPD officers who responded to the emergency.
Just ten minutes before the assault, Griffin boarded a 7 train at the Vernon Boulevard station in Queens and traveled to Grand Central.
2. Claimed to be ‘Lucifer’ during the incident. According to initial accounts cited in media reports, Griffin allegedly referred to himself as “Lucifer.”
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference, “The individual was armed with a large knife described as a machete and was behaving erratically, repeatedly stating that he was Lucifer.”
3. Griffin used a machete as a weapon. Reports indicate Griffin used a machete to attack three elderly people. Tisch said that Griffin defied the orders from officers present at the scene. She said, “From the top of the stairs, they observed the individual on the platform, and they immediately ordered him to drop the knife.”
She further added that “with at least 20 orders to drop the knife”, Griffin still refused to comply and kept advancing towards the officers with the machete.
4. Griffin was shot by police at the scene. Officers opened fire to neutralise the threat after Griffin allegedly attacked individuals inside the terminal.
An officer, in an attempt to de-escalate the situation, “discharged his firearm striking the perpetrator twice,” Tisch clarified during the press conference.
Griffin was then transported to Bellevue Hospital, where authorities say he was declared dead shortly after.
5. Griffin had been arrested thrice before the Grand Central incident. According to Tisch, Griffin had three previous arrests but no history of Emotionally Disturbed Person (EDP) reports with the NYPD.
The New York Post reported that one of his previous offenses was for threatening someone with a sharp object.
