According to a new report, a rookie NYPD cop on his first day on the job was assaulted with a machete on New Year’s Eve mere steps from Times Square, and authorities are investigating if the perpetrator is a freshly radicalized Islamic fanatic.
The cop, who graduated Friday and was assigned to a Staten Island precinct for the night, was stationed at West 52nd Street and 8th Avenue when the machete-wielding man approached him and two other police about 9:30 p.m.
According to Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell, the post was located outside the area where participants were being inspected for weapons.
After the rookie cop was cut in the skull, another officer shot the culprit.
According to the sources, the rookie officer, identified as Paul by Mayor Eric Adams, was hit in the head, prompting another cop to shoot the suspect, striking him in the shoulder.
Paul had a severe laceration and a skull fracture.
The suspect, a 19-year-old man later identified as Trevor Bickford by law enforcement authorities, was apprehended and sent to Bellevue Hospital.
Based on internet postings, authorities are examining if he is a newly radicalized Islamic terrorist.
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