A 49-year-old man is facing a slew of charges for allegedly attacking four children with a meat cleaver in Brooklyn on Sunday, police say.
Longqian Chen has been arrested and charged with attempted murder, assault, menacing a police officer, reckless endangerment, endangering the welfare of a child and criminal possession of a weapon, the NYPD said Tuesday.
The incident occurred early Sunday morning at an apartment on 84th Street near 16th Avenue in Bensonhurst, authorities said.
Police said they received a 911 call from an 11-year-old girl who reported that her uncle, identified as Chen, had attacked her and her siblings with a meat cleaver.
Officers responded to the scene and found Chen standing near the apartment entrance holding a bloody meat cleaver, officials said. Despite repeated ordered to drop the weapon, Chen advanced toward officers, prompting them to open fire, according to police.
Police fired a total of seven rounds, striking Chen, who was transported to a nearby hospital in critical condition, the NYPD said.
The victims — four girls aged 16, 13, 11 and 8 — sustained serious wounds, but are expected to recover, authorities said.
While the motive for the attack remains unclear, officials on Sunday said relatives told police that Chen has a history of mental illness.
No previous incidents of domestic violence have been reported at the residence, the NYPD said.