NYPD: Man near NYC Times Square had arrest history

NEW YORK -- Authorities say a 51-year-old New York man who was shot to death by police near Times Square had a history of marijuana arrests and had once been taken to a hospital for observation after knocking down garbage cans.

Police identified the man as Darrius Kennedy of Hempstead, N.Y., and a native of South Carolina.

Police say the encounter began Saturday when an officer approached Kennedy, who was smoking marijuana. He pulled out a kitchen knife and started backing away.

Officers followed, pepper spraying him to no avail. He lunged at two officers after about seven blocks, and they fired 12 shots altogether.

Kennedy had been arrested 10 times, including seven for marijuana possession. In 2008, he was taken to a hospital for observation after knocking down garbage cans in Times Square.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

Police shot and killed a man they say lunged at them with a knife in a confrontation that began in Times Square and drew officers and spectators on a chase that ended with shots fired near one of New York's most crowded tourist areas.

The encounter played out Saturday around 3 p.m., when officers approached a 51-year-old man they say appeared to be smoking marijuana near West 44th Street and Seventh Avenue, in the heart of Times Square.

The man became agitated, pulled out an 11-inch knife and began to put a bandanna on his head, police said. He refused repeated orders to drop the weapon and began backing down the avenue, continuing for a number of blocks and drawing many officers into a slow-speed pursuit that took them south of Times Square.

According to the police account, officers pepper sprayed the man six times but he held onto the knife throughout the seven-block pursuit. At West 37th Street, he lunged at police and two officers shot him in the torso, police said. He was pronounced dead at Bellevue Hospital.

Witnesses recalled a chaotic scene in which some bystanders took cover, while others began following the procession down the avenue in an attempt to capture cellphone video of it. On video obtained by NY1 cable news station, a number of officers, guns drawn, can be seen pursuing the man as he appears to skip down Seventh Avenue.

"He was swinging at people as he ran," Jobby Nogver, a 17-year-old visiting from Boston, told The New York Times. Nogver watched as police surrounded the man and fired. "I can't tell you how many shots," he said.

Priscilla Rocha, a tourist from Brazil, was visiting Times Square with her husband when they saw the confrontation.

"I almost had a heart attack," she told the Times. "Everyone started running."