A Show of Strength and Mourning As NYPD Responds to Domestic Dispute Call on Elizabeth Street in Little Italy

A man armed with a knife threatened his family in an Elizabeth Street apartment, then barricaded himself, cops said.

At approximately 12:30pm on Monday, sources said the assailant menaced his family inside 239 Elizabeth – allegedly with a knife – then barricaded inside another room.

Officers from the 5th Precinct arrived in good time, and entered the Little Italy apartment building. The police action soon escalated, leading to the arrival of Emergency Situation Unit personnel, with at least ten new officers in helmets and bullet-proof gear.

Officers took up positions on both sides of the building and some tenants were evacuated while others weren’t let in. There was no sign of the victim outside the building at the time.

After about an hour-long standoff, ESU extracted the tenant, a man who appeared to be in his mid-50s, without any serious incident. He was removed from the building in cuffs and quickly transported to a waiting ambulance. Witnesses said that the man had lived there his entire life, and that the cops had recently come to the apartment in response to a separate complaint.

We’re told no one was hurt in the incident. The attacker was charged with assault.

What became immediately clear to residents and pedestrians on street level was that the NYPD is responding with its full potential to address and assess the type of 911 call that led to the shooting death of two police officers last Friday in Harlem. (Police vehicles had black tape across the logos in a show of mourning.)

Reports of an altercation involving a knife on Citizen App are fairly common in the area. Yet, the manner in which the 5th Precinct handled this call is a clear indication that the NYPD is well aware of how quickly an ugly domestic situation can turn deadly.