NEW YORK — An investigation is underway after a man armed with a machete randomly attacked three elderly people on a subway platform at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan, before being fatally shot by NYPD officers who said he repeatedly identified himself as Lucifer and refused to drop his weapon.
The suspect was identified as 44-year-old Anthony Griffin. According to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, the incident unfolded just before 10 a.m. on Saturday when Griffin began slashing victims on the platform inside the busy transit hub. He first attacked an 84-year-old man, then moved upstairs to the northbound platform where he injured a 65-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman. All three victims suffered non-life-threatening injuries and were transported to the hospital, where they are expected to survive.
Witnesses described the scene as terrifying, with blood on the floor and chaos as people fled the area. One bystander told reporters it was the first time in 17 years of riding the subway that they had witnessed such violence.
Officers who were already on scene quickly confronted Griffin. Commissioner Tisch said police ordered him more than 20 times to drop the machete, but he did not comply. Instead, he charged toward the officers, prompting one to open fire. Griffin was struck and later died at a New York hospital.
Griffin had at least three prior arrests in New York City, but according to Commissioner Tisch, he was not previously classified by the NYPD as an emotionally disturbed person. Witnesses, however, reported that he was acting erratically and repeatedly called himself Lucifer while carrying out the attacks.
The motive for the assault remains under investigation. The three victims were treated at Bellevue Hospital.
The incident briefly disrupted subway service at Grand Central Terminal, one of the city’s busiest transit points. Officials have not released further details on Griffin’s background or any potential connections to the victims, emphasizing that the attack appeared random.
