An incident outside of the Palace Skateboard shop in New York City reportedly turned violent when a confrontation between a security guard and a customer spiraled out of control.
On late Friday morning (March 20), a security guard confronted a man who tried to cut a long line outside the store in SoHo, according to The New York Post. The man then allegedly slashed the security guard in the neck.
The 30-year-old guard was standing outside the Howard Street shop just after 11 a.m. when the suspect attempted to skip ahead, leading to an argument.
According to witnesses, the man retrieved a knife from his vehicle and attacked the security guard before fleeing in a Honda. The injured guard was taken to Bellevue Hospital and is expected to survive, while the suspect, described as wearing all black, remained at large with no immediate arrests.
“He had skipped the line, they were having an argument and then the guard told him to step out," a bystander told The Post. “Then he pulled out a knife from his vehicle, from the passenger door, and he went at him … It looked like he threw a punch. The knife didn't look big. I think it was a box cutter. [He got the guard] in the neck. Then he drove off at a normal speed.”
At first, no blood was visible, but the injury soon appeared to be a “pretty big cut,” prompting onlookers to assist until emergency responders arrived.
The witness added, “I have never seen that type of violence over something not that serious. He lost his mind. It was a matter of maybe five minutes. It was not that long of a wait. We were shocked. I have never seen anyone pull out a knife.”
No arrests have been reported at the time of publishing. Complex has also reached out to the New York Police Department, and this story may be updated.
