Disturbed Man Swings Sword At Customers In NYC And Threatens To Kill Himself.

In New York City, a man that was swinging a samurai sword terrified customers this last Friday. According to CBS2’s Matt Kozar, the man started swinging the sword as he walked back and forth on a staircase at an Apple store that is on the ground floor of the General Motors Building at 767 Fifth Avenue. The man was swinging the sword and threatening to kill himself. The incident took place around 4 p.m.

(video: via youtube)

Nancy Birnbaum, who is a lawyer in New York and lives nearby, told the New York Post she was browsing at the Apple store when she noticed the man swinging the sword on the staircase and according to a report from the police, he was swinging the sword at customers. Police also stated that the man threatened suicide before drawing the sword and whirling it around.

30-year-old Hsu Chien, who had a hat on and wore sunglasses, dropped the sword once on the stairs, but then picked it up and continued swinging it around as he walked back and forth on the store’s spiral staircase.

“I thought he was doing some sort of performance art, but then he pulls out this sword with a huge 2-foot-long blade, and it was dead obvious that it was a real sword,” said Birnbaum. “I’ve never been so terrified in my entire life. He pulled his sword out and everybody got back. I honestly thought that was it.”

Customers initially thought the man was a performance artist as he swung the sword, but then they got scared when he started swinging it at customers and shouting to them that he was going to kill himself. Chien also began counting down as though he had a bomb, terrifying customers and make them start running for the exits to the store.

“When he pulls out this sword, I mean, I’m telling you — the blade was this big,” witness Nancy Birnbaum told CBS2 as she held her arms far apart.

“He was right on top of me on the glass stairs, so I basically looked up and all I saw was him swinging a sword at people,” added witness Lois Apolo.

Apolo said customers rushed to the emergency exits when the man counted out loud like he had a bomb.

“He instead got on his knees and he tried to puncture himself with the sword, and started to count upwards from one till 10,” Apolo said.

“The blade must have been, I don’t know, I mean, two feet, 23 inches, curved,” said one witness.
“He was flailing. He wasn’t, but thank God, he wasn’t on the floor. And people were petrified he was en route to come onto the floor,” said another.

As Chien continued to swing the sword, it slipped out of his hands which allowed two off-duty NYPD officers to tackle the man and take him into custody shortly after the incident happened. The police officers said he appeared to be emotionally disturbed. No injuries were reported at the scene and the man’s name was not immediately made known. Chien was taken to Bellevue Hospital Center for an evaluation.

Chien was charged with menacing and criminal possession of a weapon, according to NY police.

Witness say the incident only lasted just a few minutes and the store remained open throughout the ordeal.

On Friday evening, after the ordeal, uniformed police officers and security patrolled the plaza along Fifth Avenue.

“I’ve been in New York City for nine days now,” said tourist Joel Glazer. “You see something new every day, but this is shocking.”

The incident did not deter people from visiting the Apple Store, which was packed for the rest of the night.

The incident was not terror-related, police confirmed.

(image via: shutterstock)