A man whose membership to the Museum of Modern Art had been revoked jumped over the facilities reception desk and stabbed two employees when they denied him entry on Saturday afternoon.
The two victims — initially reported to be two women — were in stable condition at Bellevue Hospital after the stabbing, which took place at about 4:15 p.m., as CrimeOnline previously reported.
John Miller, NYPD’s deputy commissioner for the Intelligence and Counterterrorism Bureaus, said the suspect revocation letter was sent out on Friday. He came to the museum on Saturday to watch a film, Miller said, and became “upset” when he was denied entry, according to the New York Times.
The suspect “proceeding to attack and stab two employees of the museum multiple times,” Miller said.
Miller said the 60-year-old man’s membership was revoked “as a result of two incidents of disorderly conduct here at the museum on two separate dates in recent days,” he said.
Miller also said the man was “known to the department” because of other incidents and was a regular visitor to the museum. He was seen on video leaving the museum after the attack.
Allessandro Pugliese told the Times he witnessed the stabbing. “I was absolutely shocked and just sort of froze,” he said.
Pugliese had arrived for a 4:30 p.m. showing of “Bringing Up Baby” when he heard the reception desk attendants began screaming. Turning toward the sound, he said he saw the suspect stab one woman in the neck and another in the back. A security guard threw a binder at the attacker, who asked the security guard where his gun was before running out of the building.
The incident prompted chaos at the popular midtown museum as visitors scattered and security moved to evacuate the facility.
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[Featured image: Museum of Modern Art/Google Maps]
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