Mike Segar/Reuters
- An Apple security guard in New York City was stabbed after he told a customer to wear a mask.
- The assailant ran away from the scene while the victim was taken to the hospital in "serious but stable condition," the NYPD said.
- It is the latest in a string of violent incidents that have erupted across the nation over mask requirements.
A security guard at an Apple store in New York City was stabbed on Friday during a confrontation with a customer over mask requirements.
A spokesperson for the New York Police Department told Insider that the 37-year-old security guard "was stabbed one time in the left arm and one time in the forehead with a knife" after a "dispute over wearing a mask inside the store."
The NYPD does not have a suspect in custody, the spokesperson said.
The suspect – who the NYPD described as an "unknown male Black wearing a black sweatshirt with red lettering, blue jeans, and black sneakers" – ran from the scene into a nearby subway station.
"The victim was removed via EMS to Bellevue Hospital in serious but stable condition. There is no arrest at this time and the investigation is ongoing," Detective Sophia Mason said.
The incident unfolded at the Apple store on Ninth Avenue and West 14th Street just after 6 p.m. on Friday, Mason said.
The store was "closed until further notice," according to an automated message on the store's voicemail. Apple, which requires masks in stores, did not immediately return Insider's request for comment.
New York City requires masks on public transportation, in hospitals, and in schools. Local guidance advises wearing masks indoors.
The incident was the latest in a string of violent confrontations over mask mandates. In similar outbursts across the country, a Wisconsin man punched a pizzeria manager who asked him to wear a mask; a father beat an elementary school teacher over mask requirements in California; a Pennsylvania theme-park employee was punched after telling a visitor to follow masking protocols.