Kingston Man Allegedly Stabbed a Barber, Cut His Own Neck

A man allegedly slashed a Kingston, New York barber more than once and then proceeded to cut his neck on Thursday evening according to police.

A scary situation unfolded Thursday, April 25th on Broadway in Kingston, NY when according to police, a New York State Police (NYSP) Trooper observed a man standing in front of the Ulster Performing Arts Center (UPAC) at approximately 6:10 p.m. with a knife in his hand, holding it to his neck in a manner which looked like his was going to harm himself.

Police Use Taser to Subdue Man

According to the Kingston Police Department, 41-year-old Gunercindo Diaz-Diaz did wind up cutting his neck causing a minor laceration before the NYSP Trooper deployed his taser to get him into handcuffs for his safety.

As officers from the City of Kingston arrived on the scene they assisted the trooper in rendering first aid to Diaz who was quickly transported to nearby HealthAlliance Hospital for further treatment.

As police got the scene under control and Diaz was in custody, it was discovered that he allegedly stabbed an employee at the nearby First Capital Barbershop at 591 Broadway Kingston.

According to police a 68-year-old barbershop employee was allegedly "slashed" more than once by Diaz and sustained a severe wound to his abdomen.

The unidentified victim was rushed by ambulance to the HealthAlliance Hospital Emergency Room and was rushed into emergency surgery to treat his wounds. The victim made it out of surgery and is now in serious condition but is expected to make a full recovery.

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Man Arrested

Police said that around midnight that same night, Diaz was released from the hospital and immediately arrested and charged with two felonies including Assault in the 1st degree and Criminal Possession of a Weapon.

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Police said that neither Diaz nor the victim knew each other and a motive is unclear at this time, but this is an active investigation so when more information becomes available we will update this article.

If you have any information regarding this incident Kingston Police are asking you to call them at 845-331-1671 or email detectives@kingston-ny.gov.