Meat Cleaver Attack on New York Street Halted by Firefighters
Feb. 25, 2013 — -- A New York woman is in critical but stable condition today after she was rescued by firefighters who saw her being attacked with a meat cleaver.
The woman was attacked by her husband about 10:20 a.m. Sunday in the Chinatown section of Manhattan, police said. Stunned firefighters from Engine 9/Ladder 6, who are also knows at the "dragon fighters," saw the assailant raise a cleaver and strike the woman in the head, police said.
Several firefighters rushed across the street to wrestle the attacker into custody while another firefighter pursued the bloody and panicked woman into a store to treat her wounds.
"[There was] a lot of blood. They said there were lacerations to the head, and also cuts and lacerations to the torso," FDNY spokesman Jim Long told ABCNews.com.
Ming Guang Huang, 28, was arrested. The woman's name was not immediately released.
Firefighter Jose Ortiz told reporters he rushed across the street to help after hearing screams.
"All of a sudden I see the cleaver go up and he swings down, he hit her in the head, that was the first shot, and I'm thinking I've got to grab this guy," he told reporters. "We rushed across the street to help after hearing screams."
Ortiz and firefighter James Trainer were able to hold Huang down, Long said, while other firefighters were able to flag down the police.
Firefighter Shane Clark caught up with the victim a few blocks away.
"There was a language barrier," he told reporters. "We were trying to get her to stop, but she wouldn't let us go near her. She was covered in blood and we were trying to calm her down. She was very disoriented."
Emergency medical personnel responded and took the 24-year-old victim to New York's Bellevue medical center where she is currently admitted.
"I was happy that we were there to help," Ortiz said. "I'm sorry that we weren't there early enough to stop the whole thing altogether."
Huang is charged with attempted murder, assault, criminal possession of a weapon and harassment. The New York Department of Corrections was unable to confirm if Huang is receiving a psychiatric evaluation before he is arraigned.
