Grand Central Horror: Machete Madman Attacks 3, Shot Dead by Cops

A machete-wielding attacker slashed three victims in Grand Central Station on Saturday, April 11, before being fatally shot by police, according to the NYPD.

The suspect, Anthony Griffin, 44, exited shortly before 9:40 a.m. a No. 7 train he had boarded at Vernon Blvd. in Queens, took out a machete and immediately attacked an 84-year-old man who was standing on the platform, slashing him in the face and neck.

Griffin then fled to the platform of the Nos. 4, 5 and 6 trains, where he attacked a 65-year-old man, slashing him in the face and causing what police described as an “open skull fracture,” and a 70-year-old woman, who he slashed in the shoulder.

Two NYPD detectives on duty at Grand Central encountered one of the victims, and ordered Griffin more than 20 times to drop the knife that he was carrying, according to police. He advanced toward them with the blade extended, and that’s when one of the detectives shot the suspect twice, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a news conference.

“Our officers were confronted with an armed individual who had already injured multiple people and was continuing to pose a threat,” Tisch said. “They gave clear commands. They attempted to de-escalate. And when that threat did not stop, they took decisive action to stop it.”

Officers performed CPR on the suspect at the scene before he was transported to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

According to NYPD Chief of Transit Joseph Gulotta, the three victims were targeted at “random.”

The first victim, an 84 year old man who was slashed on the 7 train platform sustained “significant lacerations” to his head, Tisch said while a 65 year-old man suffered an open skull fracture. Further information on the conditions of the three victims was not available at press time.

Griffin, who reportedly announced himself as “Lucifer,” was, as the Daily News reported, a Bronx-based freestyle rapper of modest but real acclaim.

A memorial post on Facebook began, “Life is too short. Rest In Power Big homie FOX 5IV3. Lost one of the dopest bronx battle rappers. Straight energy to hear him speak on his regular vibe” before linking to a D-Bon The Don YouTube segment on Griffin. Posted in January 2023, Griffin is there identified as “Almighty Gawdflow, a Bronx native, MC, and theologian” and “retired battle rapper.”

Speaking on the incident, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said, “I am grateful to the NYPD for their quick response to preventing additional violence.”

It was reported that Anthony Griffin had 3 prior NYPD arrests but none were for mental health issues, according to Tisch.

Social media posts from friends and associates of Griffin suggest he was a good person, but troubled.