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Police shoot knife-weilding man after car chase

Monday, September 25, 2006

(New York - WABC, September 25, 2006) (WABC) -- It started as a police chase. It ended as a police shooting. In between, there was a crash, gunfire and multiple injuries along Manhattan's Upper East Side.

The incident happened just before 9:30 a.m. Monday on East 63rd Street near Lexington Avenue.

Eyewitness News reporter Nina Pineda is live with the story.

Police say the suspect, who was shot after being chased down Lexington Avenue, is a wanted criminal who allegedly stabbed someone to death Sunday night in East Providence, Rhode Island.

Authorities say the suspect, identified as 36-year-old Joel Noonan, drove a stolen black jeep into another car during the chase. Two pedestrians were pinned in the crash, and the two people in the other vehicle were also injured.

According to investigators, Noonan made statements to police in East Providence saying he was skilled in martial arts and would never be taken alive.

"He had a knife in his left hand and he was swinging it at the cops, chasing them around his jeep," witness Raymond Garcia said. "They pepper spray him, tell him 'Drop the weapon, drop the weapon.' He didn't drop it, so they pulled out their weapons and shot him four or five times."

"I fell, because I was running because I heard the gunshots," witness Silvie Pady said. "I was running for my life."

Officials say the jeep was spotted by the MTA Highway Patrol and a brief chase ensued before the crash. Witnesses say one of the pedestrians was pinned against a storefront.

"She said, 'Help, help,' witness Rafael Velez said. "She needed help. She was really hurt."

"She appeared to be in great distress," witness Dale Reynolds said. "And she was just lying there on the sidewalk."

Witnesses say the Highway Patrol officers opened fire after Noonan refused several orders to drop the knife he was holding and back off.

"He chased the cops about two times around the jeep," Velez said. "The cops told him, 'This is the last time, drop your weapon.' He kept coming at them, and they just popped him."

One of the civilians who was hit reportedly has a broken femur, but is expected to recover. The other three are in serious condition. Noonan, who was shot in the abdomen and the leg, is in critical condition.

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