Man shot in the face by officer after charging at patrol car with knife on Long Island, police say
A Nassau County officer shot a man in the face after he allegedly smashed a patrol car window with a knife while officers were inside Monday night, police said.
The incident started around 10 p.m. when police received a call about a man "acting erratically" and threatening to stab people with a large knife. Law enforcement officials found an individual matching the suspect's description near a wooded area on Brush Hollow Road in Westbury.
As officers drove up to the suspect, police say the person came running out from the bushes with a 13-inch butcher knife. The man allegedly smashed the passenger-side window of the unmarked patrol car where an officer was sitting.
"He turns as the knife is coming through the window and he fires a couple of times at the individual," said Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder.
The suspect was not hit and ran toward the back of the car, police say. Then, the officer driving the car got out and shot the man in the face, according to police.
The bullet went through one side of his jaw and out the other side, Ryder said.
The suspect, who has been identified as 27-year-old Adrian Thompson, was hospitalized and is recovering. The two officers involved were also treated at the hospital.
The only other interaction law enforcement had with Thompson was in April, according to police. Ryder said police got a call about Thompson acting irrationally and possibly sniffing glue.
"This young man was also a medical student at Columbia at one point, so he's a well-educated individual, obviously going through some depression, according to the parents," Ryder said.
Thompson was arraigned from his hospital bed, pleading not guilty to menacing charges. Police say additional charges are expected.
Meanwhile, neighbors say one of the bullets tore through their home. Sarai Montoya, 17, says she heard gunshots, then felt something whiz past her as she got ready for bed.
"The gun, smoke, powder, and like everything. I didn't know what it was at the time, obviously. I thought it was, like, something electrical," she said. "I felt something go right by my shoulder."
Holes could be seen showing the bullet's path through a fence, then a window and several walls inside the home.
"The bullet, where it shot through the closet, was, like, inches away from where I was standing," Sarai said.
"I think it was a miracle that she's OK," Sarai's sister said.
