A horrific scene unfolded in Brooklyn, New York, on April 6, 2025, ending with police shooting a man suspected of brutally attacking his four nieces with a meat cleaver. A brave 11-year-old girl escaped the alleged attacker, Lun Chang Chen, 49, and called police for help. Although she wasn’t sure of the address, dispatchers determined her location and sent police to help. Miraculously, authorities say all four girls will survive.
New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch addressed the media at a news conference and said police arrived at 1671 84th St. about 10:15 a.m., following a call about an “assault in progress.” The 11-year-old girl answered the door and led officers into the home.
“Once they entered, they encountered a man standing near the entrance holding a large meat cleaver covered with blood, and they could see blood on the floor of the home,” Tisch said during the conference. “The officers ordered the man to drop the weapon several times. He refused and advanced toward them.”
Chen allegedly refused, and officers fired multiple shots, “ending the threat.” Emergency crews took the girls aged 16, 13, 11, and 8 to Maimonides Medical Center with “serious slash and stab wounds.” Tisch said they are all expected to survive.
A neighbor, identified by the New York Post as Maria, said she saw the aftermath of the shocking attack. “I was watching through the window and the girl covered in blood came out,” Maria said. “And then there was another girl. The two girls were just covered in blood.”
She added, “I was shaking. I’m still shaking now,” she said, per the Post. “I don’t usually see them. They just moved here. I lived here for seven years, and there are a lot of new people moving here.”
Neighbor Humbert Huerta told the Post, “They brought out a guy on a stretcher, all bloody without a shirt. I don’t know who it was, but they shot him twice. They took him out and put him in the ambulance. Probably 40 years old.”
According to Tisch, a 5-year-old boy was also inside the home at the time of the attack but escaped and ran for help. Family members reportedly told police Chen has a history of mental illness.
Many commended the police work and the bravery of the child who called 911 for help.
One person wrote on the NYPD’s YouTube channel. “The young KID, who called 911, should receive a MEDAL OF VALOR from the New York Police Commissioner. Job Well Done NYPD & all others involved.”
Another wrote, “Good job NYPD !!!!!!!!!!!!”
