By Tiffany Williams –
NEW YORK — A knife attack erupted in the heart of Times Square Monday afternoon, leaving multiple people stabbed and a woman critically wounded after police opened fire, according to law enforcement.
The violence unfolded in one of the busiest tourist destinations in New York City, in the area of West 43rd Street and Seventh Avenue.
Police described the woman as emotionally disturbed and said she was armed with a knife.
Authorities said the woman used the knife to stab multiple people before responding NYPD officers confronted her.
Officers then fired at the woman, police said.
She was struck by the gunfire and rushed to a hospital in critical condition.
At least two people were stabbed during the attack, according to law enforcement.
Their conditions were not immediately clear.
The incident triggered a major police response in the middle of Times Square, an area routinely packed with tourists, commuters, businesses and pedestrian traffic.
The NYPD advised people to avoid the area around West 43rd Street and Seventh Avenue as investigators worked at the scene.
Police also warned of delays throughout the surrounding area.
Despite the location and the sudden violence, the attacks did not appear to be connected to terrorism, according to sources.
Investigators will now have to reconstruct exactly what happened before the first stabbing, what occurred as officers arrived and what led police to fire at the woman.
Authorities had not immediately provided additional information about the identities of the stabbing victims or the woman who was shot.
The circumstances leading up to the attack also remained unclear.
What police have established is that multiple people were attacked with a knife in the middle of Times Square, responding officers fired at the woman accused of carrying out those attacks, and she was hospitalized in critical condition.
The investigation remains ongoing as police continue working in the area of West 43rd Street and Seventh Avenue.