6 hurt in Penn Station stabbing as Trump set to attend NBA Finals game at Madison Square Garden — just above crime scene
Six people were hurt in a stabbing at New York City's Penn Station Sunday evening, the Associated Press reported, as President Donald Trump is set to attend Monday night's Game 3 NBA Finals matchup between the New York Knicks and the San Antonio Spurs at Madison Square Garden — the storied entertainment venue located above Penn Station in the same midtown Manhattan complex.
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A suspect was taken into custody after the attack, which took place around 7 p.m., the AP said.
'Penn Station is not known for being the most safe area, especially in the evening, especially with just how busy it’s been recently with the Knicks game [and] Trump coming.'
Paramedics found one victim with serious injuries, two with moderate injuries, and two with minor injuries, the outlet said, citing the city's fire department.
The AP said those five victims were taken to Bellevue Hospital, while another individual whose condition was not immediately known was taken to a separate hospital.
In a roped-off area near Tracks 5 and 6, medical gloves, discarded bandages, and traces of blood still marked the floor Sunday night, the AP said.
In addition to the huge crowds expected to descend upon Madison Square Garden for the first NBA Finals game there since 1999, Trump said he plans to attend the game as well, the outlet said.
The president's plans prompted heightened security measures involving the Secret Service, the New York City Police Department, and other agencies around Madison Square Garden and surrounding blocks, the AP said.
However, authorities did not immediately indicate if the stabbing would affect security plans for the game, the outlet noted.
Sources told the New York Post that 51-year-old Hector Deleon "unleashed the unprovoked attack ... inside the New Jersey Transit boarding area."
The Post said sources indicated that Deleon is believed to be homeless and was arrested in May in New Jersey on assault and narcotics charges. The paper said details of that arrest were not immediately available.
Sources added to the Post that the victims of the stabbing attack were all men who range in age from 30 to 60 and were believed to be innocent bystanders.
“Wow, I mean, I guess I’m not surprised, though," Sanai Rashid, 21, told the paper. "I mean, Penn Station is not known for being the most safe area, especially in the evening, especially with just how busy it’s been recently with the Knicks game [and] Trump coming. It’s been a bit of a messy summer in general. I think crime does go up as well, but I do think there probably should be more security in Penn Station, but that’s devastating.”
The AP called Penn Station one of the nation’s busiest transportation hubs, which serves Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road, NJ Transit, and New York City subway lines and is used by "hundreds of thousands of commuters and travelers each day."
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