Man Wielding Large Meat Cleaver Shot Dead by NYPD on LES

A pleasantly warm summer afternoon of strolling, shopping, eating and drinking on the Lower East Side turned to horror on Aug. 16, when multiple 911 calls about an assault in progress by a man with a meat cleaver brought swarms of NYPD cops and first responders to the corner of Rivington and Ludlow Streets.

Police arrived at 126 Ludlow St., at around 4:06 p.m. Climbing the building’s blood-spattered stairs, they were met by a man holding a large, wood-handled meat cleaver. (Though NYPD and numerous news reports described the weapon a “butcher’s knife,” kitchen experts tell Straus News it’s properly called a meat cleaver.)

The man wielding the cleaver was 54-year-old Wei Chan, who lived in the building—which has the words “Esther Apt.,” and the year of its completion, 1930, engraved in mock Hebrew-style script above the entryway. He resided there with his father, Cheung Chan, whom he’d recently slashed in the head.

“Officers entered the building, saw the trail of blood and responded without hesitation, not knowing what was waiting for them as they went up the stairs,” NYPD Assistant Chief Melissa Eger, Commanding Officer of Patrol Borough Manhattan South (PBMS) said at a press conference later that evening. Eger was joined by Deputy Inspector Jason Evert, C.O. of the 7th Precinct, and Captain Anthony Scapaccio of the NYPD Force Investigation Division.

Though repeatedly told to “show his hands” and drop the weapon, Eger said Wei Chan continued to advance towards the cops, at which time officers fired their weapons at him. Severely wounded, cops called EMS who performed first aid on the scene and rushed the younger Chan to Bellevue Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The incident was recorded on officers’ body-worn cameras said Eger, and would be investigated by the department’s Force Investigation Unit. Though the deceased had no known criminal history, she added, he did have “a documented mental health history with the department.”

The elder Chan was also treated at Bellvue for a laceration to his head and other injuries. By Monday morning, the father was back at his building, where a resident named Bradley told the Daily News, “He had a bandage on his right arm, neck, pretty bandaged up.”

Though the fatal crime scene would have been shocking under any circumstances, that the tragedy unfolded on a Sunday afternoon in a bustling tourist area meant there were more people gawking than might otherwise have been the case. That a popular bar, Pretty Ricky, occupies the northern ground floor corner of 126 Ludlow St., also contributed to the sizable crowd.

Crime scene photos show dozens of gawkers standing behind the white police tape, some taking photos with their phones, while dedicated imbibers continue their drinking inside Pretty Ricky’s, whose ample picture windows were thrown open to the unfolding scene beside them.

Among the responding NYPD units were officers from the 7th Precinct, the Strategic Response Group (SRG), the Tactical Assistance Research Unit (TARU) and the Emergency Service Unit, whose lower Manhattan-based truck, ESS 1, was parked outside 126 Ludlow St. According to NYPD, responding cops were taken to an area hospital for evaluation.

“I was deeply troubled to hear about the incident that occurred this afternoon on Ludlow Street, which left multiple people hospitalized,” said Council Member Christopher Marte in a statement that evening. “I am wishing all those injured a swift and full recovery, and I am especially grateful to our first responders who put themselves in harm’s way every day to keep our communities safe. My office is closely monitoring the situation and remains in contact with the relevant agencies as we learn more.”

NYPD Command Notes

The tragic incident was perhaps the largest platform yet for Assistant Chief Eger. Formerly the Borough Commander of Staten Island, Eger was tapped for the high profile PBMS job in June, after the former C.O., Assistant Chief James McCarthy, was shockingly fingered in a mysterious, still ongoing joint NYPD and federal corruption probe.

Having been stripped of his gun and shield and placed on modified duty, McCarthy filed for retirement—just months before he would have reached the mandatory NYPD retirement age of 63 in December. At present, McCarthy—a recognizable, affable and well-liked presence at innumerable southern Manhattan crime scenes, parades and other large public events— has not been charged with any crime, nor have any specific allegations against him been made public.

A Historic Locale

Besides the Hebrew-style “Esther Apt.”, literal signs of the locale’s Jewish heritage abound in the fitgully gentrifying neighborhood. An engraved facade for the First Roumanian Congregation Talmud Torah still stands at 95 Rivington St., while the northwest corner of Rivington and Ludlow is co-named Rabbi Yakov Spiegel Way. Honoring the renowned, nearly-century-old Economy Candy shop, the intersection’s northeast corner is co-named Morris “Moishe” Cohen Way, after the store’s founder.

On the wall opposite 126 Ludlow St. is a mural honoring the Beastie Boys’ revered 1989 album “Paul’s Boutique,” the cover of which paid tribute to corner shop called Lee’s Sportswear, which sold fashion goods at 99 Rivington St. Most recently home to Wolfnights wrap shop, the space presently appears unoccupied.