NYPD officers shoot man wielding knife in East Harlem

EAST HARLEM - A knife-wielding man with a history of mental illness and violent encounters with police was shot when he allegedly attacked a group of people and police in East Harlem.

It happened on Saturday night around 5:30 p.m. on East 102nd Street outside the George Washington Houses. 

Police told FOX 5 NY's Richard Giacovas what happened Saturday night was "chaotic and fast."

A person who lives in the community walked into the 23rd precinct claiming an irate man was armed with a knife attempting to stab a group of people.

One sergeant and two officers immediately responded and ran out of the precinct, where they spotted the man wielding a knife. Officers gave him numerous commands to drop it, but he refused.

The man lunged at an officer with a knife while trying to stab someone. Officers kept calling for the man to drop the knife, and he didn't listen yet again. A police officer tried to taser the man.

The man then came back with the knife swinging it at a female officer's face, but missed. After that, a sergeant pulled out his gun and hit the man in his backside.

"Suddenly there was a gunshot. People around me said s--t. So surprised. The family came out saying over there, over there," a witness said.

"This police department is the most restrained police department in the nation, and we use force as a last resort. Unfortunately today, all our attempts to descalate this fast moving incident, which lasted 34 seconds, were unsuccessful," Chief Assistant Ruel Stephenson, Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Manhattan North, said. 

The man was hospitalized and is in stable condition. 

All three officers involved in the shooting were taken to the hospital for evaluation. 

Charges are pending at this time.