POLICE shot and killed a disturbed man after he walked into one of New York’s most prominent synagogues and stabbed someone there, sources said.
The bloodshed at the world headquarters of Chabad-Lubavitch in Crown Heights, Brooklyn happened shortly after 1am local time, sources said.
WARNING: Disturbing language and footage
A Chabad spokesman said witnesses reported that the man said “Kill the Jews,†but police said the man may have said, “I will kill all of you.â€
One witness told The Post that the man did not talk about killing Jews.
Calvin Peters, 50, walked into the basement of the synagogue, where people were praying, sources said.
“According to witnesses, he was heard saying repeatedly, ‘Kill the Jews!’†Chabad Rabbi Motti Seligson said.
“Several other individuals immediately intervened. While we are very pained by everything that has unfolded, we are very grateful to the police for their quick response and are working closely with the authorities in their ongoing investigation.â€
Seligson said the victim was Levi Rosenblat, a young rabbinical student from Israel.
He’s in stable condition at Kings County Hospital.
“I entered the building with him, I even held the door open for him,†witness Israel Gottdenger, 26, told The Post.
“It’s a very public building and people of all kinds are always walking in, white, black, everyone.
“He was just going crazy,†Gottdenger said. “He said, ‘I want to sit down, I want to get a Bible, who wants to die tonight,’ he kept changing his words.
“He was either really high on drugs or an (emotionally disturbed person).â€
The man briefly walked out, then returned and stabbed Rosenblat in the side of the head.
“He’s a very serious student. He’d been studying all day,†witness Levi Deutsch said of the victim.
“He was stabbed in the side of the head. He was conscious but he was bleeding a lot.â€
Another witness flagged down cops who were passing the headquarters.
Officers then confronted the man in an encounter that was captured in a dramatic video.
As Peters brandishes the knife, an officer pulls his weapon, prompting onlookers at the synagogue to say, “Hey officer, don’t do it,†and implore Peters to drop the knife.
Peters then shouts, “You gonna shoot me?†prompting the onlookers to exclaim, “No, no, no, don’t shoot, don’t shoot.â€
Peters then repeats, “You gonna shoot me?,†to which the officer responds, “If you don’t drop the knife I will.â€
After several demands from the officer, Peters then puts the knife down on a table and puts his hands up, prompting the officer to holster his gun.
It appears as if the encounter has been defused. But Peters suddenly grabs the knife again, spurring the officer to shout, “Stay the f — k away from the knife now.â€
Other officers then appear in the video as Peters storms around, brandishing the knife.
Then, moments later, a single shot is heard, after the camera turns away from the chaotic incident.
Sources said one of the officers fired one round into Peters’ body, killing him.
Another video shows officers standing over the man as he was handcuffed.
“It’s the first time this has happened at a New York synagogue,†one member said.
“I come here every day. To know that somebody died here, it’s scary. It needs to be a secure place.â€
The suspect was taken to Kings County Hospital, where he died.