Officer seriously wounded after being stabbed by mentally ill man in Jerusalem

A police officer was seriously wounded Friday after being stabbed by a Jerusalem man believed to be suffering from a mental illness.

Police arrived at an apartment building in the capital’s Ramot neighborhood after receiving a complaint about a man causing a disturbance, throwing objects and reportedly threatening to kill himself. The 23-year-old suspect’s mother was in the apartment and expressed fear that her son might hurt her, police said.

Upon arrival, the officers sought to calm down the suspect who was in his room. As they began to approach him, the suspect suddenly pulled out a knife and stabbed one of the officers several times before throwing the weapon to the ground.

The wounded officer then engaged in a struggle with the suspect but managed to apprehend him after another cop cocked her weapon and pointed it at the assailant, police said, noting that the background of the incident was not terror.

Additional officers were called to the scene and the wounded officer was rushed to Jerusalem’s Shaare Zedek Medical Center for treatment. The hospital said his condition was serious but stable.

Jerusalem District Police Commander Doron Turgeman paid a visit to the hospital and thanked the officer for his conduct in Ramot.