A security guard at a New York City Apple store was stabbed multiple times in a violent dispute after telling a customer they needed to wear a mask.
Police say the 37 year-old employee was stabbed by a knife in the left arm and once to the forehead with a left hand knife at the West 14th Street location in lower Manhattan.
The suspect ran into the nearby subway station after the incident on Friday evening.
The injured security guard was taken to a hospital in a stable but serious condition.
I saw him come out on the stretcher and I was like ouch, an eyewitness told NBC New York.
Everybody was in a big commotion, crying, everyone was in shock Another witness added: Screaming and people pushing and shoving I saw him when they put him out in a stretcher, two paramedics followed by five or six policemen. The store was closed for more than two hours as employees spoke with police officers.
Cleaning company workers then left a trail of blood that left behind at the scene.
The investigation remains ongoing, but no one was arrested in connection with the assault on Saturday morning said police.
While there is no universal mask mandatory in New York City, individual businesses and business owners may require a face covering inside their stores.
Apple s website states that there are Masks required for all employees and customers inside its stores.
New York State has seen more than 2.46 m Covid deaths during the pandemic and 55,203 cases.