Man Pulls Knife, Cuts Wrists on 'Today' Show Plaza
Some scary news coming out of Rockefeller Plaza on Thursday morning, and for once, it has nothing to do with the drama going on inside the walls of the "Today" show control room.
The New York City Police Department confirmed that a man in his 50s pulled a knife and cut his wrists and arms outside the studio. Fortunately, no one else was harmed.
At the top of the 8 AM hour, host Matt Lauer went on the air and informed viewers they were inside the studio because of the incident. The unidentified man was attended to by medical personal after "Today" show security handled the situation. The male allegedly said he only wanted to harm himself and not others. Lauer tweeted about the incident:
All secure on the plaza after a scary incident. Thanks to our security team and the NYPD.
— Matt Lauer (@MLauer) June 6, 2013
Sorry, a man attempted to harm himself with a knife. He is under police control.In custody.
— Matt Lauer (@MLauer) June 6, 2013
According to the New York Daily News, the unidentified man rambled in broken English that the Internal Revenue Service was corrupt and that the agency "ruined his life."
The man allegedly continued shouting about peppermint tea while trying to get bystanders to read a pile of papers — reportedly IRS documents of some sort — until he threw the papers into the air.
At about 7:50 AM, he then pulled out a knife (some witnesses say a pocketknife, others a box cutter) and screamed, “I’m going to cut myself!” twice before slashing at his own arm and wrist.
The man, who was without identification, is currently in custody and has been taken to St. Luke’s Hospital.
