New Yorkers watch police shoot meat cleaver-wielding suspect at least 15 times

Suspect Akram Joudeh was shot and taken to hospital in critical condition

A dramatic video has shown the moment that police shot a man wielding a meat cleaver at least 15 times in a busy street near Penn Station.

Police responded to an emergency call and found a man, named as 32-year-old Akram Joudeh, who reportedly removed an 11-inch meat cleaver from his waistband and “fled” on foot.

According to a police account, officers chased him on foot, and deployed a taser gun which had “no effect”.

The suspect then reportedly jumped on top of a marked police vehicle on West 32nd Street, and an off-duty detective in plain clothes attempted to subdue him.

The detective was struck in the head and taken to hospital with a six-inch wound. He remains in serious condition, said police.

Officers then reportedly opened fire on the suspect. In the video, at least 15 shots can be heard in quick succession. He was taken to hospital and is in critical condition.

Two officers sustained non-life threatening injuries and were also taken to hospital.

Joudeh was a Queens resident and reportedly lived in his vehicle, said police. Local news said he had been arrested 15 times previously, most recently for possessing a weapon outside a synagogue.

Authorities temporarily closed off the area outside Madison Square Garden and the station.

New York police commissioner Bill Bratton tweeted: “I commend our officers for their bravery tonight in the incident near Penn Station.

”Keep them in your thoughts as they recover.“

The incident comes three months after police shot dead Garry Conrad Jr, who lunged at an officer with a knife on 49th Street. Officers opened seven rounds on him, injuring a woman bystander.