Legal/Law/Criminal Justice and Reform

Police Arrest Suspect In Stabbing Six People At Train Station Set To Have Thousands For NBA Finals, World Cup

Danazar, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

Police arrested a suspect for stabbing six individuals at New York Penn Station on Sunday evening right before thousands of fans are expected to arrive for the NBA Finals.

One individual faced severe injuries and paramedics found the others with injuries ranging from severe to moderate, according to NBC. The stabbing comes before the New York Knicks are set to face the San Antonio Spurs in Monday night’s Game 3 of the NBA Finals — the first at Madison Square Garden since 1999.

The incident happened around Sunday at 7 p.m. local time and the Amtrak Police Department responded, the New York City Police Department (NYPD) told the Daily Caller News Foundation. The knife was recovered at the scene.

The train station, located beneath Madison Square Garden, brings in hundreds of thousands of people each day for commuting and traveling. It and serves Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, NJ Transit and the New York City subway system.

Upon arrival, members of the Amtrak Police Department observed five individuals with slash wounds about the body, the NYPD told the DCNF. Emergency medical services responded and transported the individuals to a local hospital in stable condition.

The authorities have not released the identity of the suspect, and they are investigating the situation, according to the Associated Press.

The perpetrator is suspected to have mental health issues, NBC News reported.

President Donald Trump plans on attending the NBA Finals game and security will be extensive around the Madison Square Garden and surrounding blocks. Authorities did not indicate whether the stabbing will affect security for the game, the AP reported.

Beginning Saturday, World Cup matches will also take place in New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium — across the Hudson River from Manhattan — and are expected to bring in thousands of travelers.