#Kansas City cop stabbed in chest by mentally distressed man

A “very agitated” man suspected of having a mental health breakdown stabbed a police officer in Missouri, department officials said.

The officer, who not immediately identified, was attacked Wednesday as he responded to a medical call in downtown Kansas City, police told the Kansas City Star.

The cop found the man in a “very agitated state” and tried to help calm him down, believing he was having a mental health crisis, police spokesman Sgt. Jacob Becchina told the newspaper.

The suspect then pulled out a knife from his pocket and stabbed the officer in the chest, Becchina said.

The cop managed to hold the suspect at gunpoint until additional officers responded to the scene and arrested him, the newspaper reports.

The officer, initially said to be in critical condition, was reportedly listed in stable as of late Wednesday.

The suspect is now facing aggravated assault charges, KCTV reports.

The incident was not related to ongoing police brutality protests in downtown Kansas City, Becchina told the station.

“We were very curious about it, too,” he said. “Obviously, we’re gearing up for protests near the Plaza. We’re on alert and ready for any issues that pop up across the city.”

The stabbing happened about 30 minutes before a planned demonstration organized by the Kansas City Police Department with local church leaders in the aftermath of George Floyd’s May 25 death in Minneapolis, KSHB reports.