At least one officer fired gunshots in an attempt to stop the assault, New York police said.

It’s believed an off-duty detective got into an altercation with the attacker before he was struck in the face by the cleaver, The New York Post reports

Gunshots rang out in the street about a block from the Macy’s department store just as rush hour was getting underway.

Police say one officer suffered a head injury. A second officer suffered a graze wound.

A police spokesman couldn’t say whether the suspect was hit by police gunfire. A bystander says he heard several gunshots and saw a sedan with bullet holes in the windshield.

AP