Dramatic Video Captures Final Confrontation After Deadly Times Square Knife Attack
A chaotic scene unfolded in the heart of Times Square on Monday afternoon when a woman armed with two large kitchen knives allegedly attacked two strangers within seconds of each other before confronting New York City police officers.
The suspect, identified by authorities as 49-year-old Pamela Cisneros of Queens, was later shot by police after officers said repeated commands and attempts to stop her with Tasers failed. Cisneros and one of the two people she allegedly attacked were pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.
Video from the confrontation shows officers surrounding Cisneros as she continued holding the knives. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said officers spent approximately four minutes repeatedly ordering her to put the weapons down.
During the standoff, Tisch said Cisneros threatened the officers, telling them she would not drop the knives and saying she would kill them.
Two attacks within seconds in Times Square
The NYPD shot and killed a knife-wielding woman who stabbed two people, one fatally, in Times Square.@bboypop97/Instagram
According to police, the incident began at approximately 4:24 p.m. on August 31 near West 41st Street and Seventh Avenue.
A 68-year-old man had just exited the subway and was standing with his wife waiting to cross the street when Cisneros allegedly removed two knives from a red Target bag.
Authorities said she approached the man and stabbed him in the abdomen in what Tisch described as an apparently random and unprovoked attack.
Cisneros then continued north toward West 42nd Street, where police said she attacked a second person — a 32-year-old woman.
The two attacks occurred roughly 20 seconds apart.
The female victim was later identified as Erin Piacenti, 32, of Chester, New Jersey. Piacenti was a vice president at Bank of America, working in the company’s business selection and conflicts unit. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital but could not be saved.
The 68-year-old man survived and was reported to be in stable condition.
Police try to end the confrontation
After responding officers encountered Cisneros, they repeatedly instructed her to drop the knives.
Tisch said multiple officers eventually deployed Tasers, but the attempts did not stop her.
Video shows Cisneros continuing to hold the weapons before advancing toward the officers. Two officers then fired their service weapons, striking her.
Officers immediately moved in, handcuffed Cisneros and began providing emergency medical assistance. She was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
The confrontation took place in one of Manhattan’s busiest areas, with tourists and commuters nearby.
“Our officers were confronted with a rapidly evolving threat with countless innocent people around them,” Tisch said while discussing the police response.
What police know about Pamela Cisneros
Authorities said Cisneros had no known arrest history but had previous documented encounters with the NYPD involving mental-health issues in 2018 and 2019.
Investigators have not established a motive for the attacks.
Police have described both encounters as apparently random and unprovoked, and officials said there was no indication that the incident was connected to terrorism.
The NYPD Force Investigation Division is continuing to investigate the officers’ use of force, as is standard following police shootings. Officials have also said body-camera footage from the confrontation will be released.
The episode left one victim dead, another hospitalized and the suspect dead — all after a sequence of events that unfolded in only minutes in the middle of Times Square.