Police said that a man was arrested in Philadelphia for allegedly stabbing two employees at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. He had also set his hotel room ablaze, according to police.
Police had been searching for Gary Cabana (60) since Saturday. He was found sleeping on a bench by police and was taken into custody without any incident.
New York City police reported that Cabana jumped over a desk at the Museum of Modern Art and stabbed two staff after being denied entry because of his membership having been revoked.
Police said that the two workers, aged 24 and 25, were repeatedly stabbed, but they did not sustain life-threatening injuries.
Cabana, who was on the run for several days while on the run, was a fugitive and traded messages with reporters via social media. Cabana claimed that he was suffering from mental illness and that he had been unfairly rescinded his membership at the museum.
After responding to a small fire at the Best Western Hotel at 6:45 p.m. on Monday, Philadelphia officers went in search of Cabana. The fire was put out by sprinklers, as it was suspected that it had been intentionally set.
It was not clear when Cabana would appear in court, or when a lawyer could be appointed to speak for him.
MoMA was founded in 1929 and is one of New York City’s most popular tourist attractions. In 2020, it attracted more than 700,000. The museum’s collection includes works by Henri Matisse, Paul Gauguin, and “The Starry Night” from Vincent Van Gogh.
Police said that Cabana’s membership was suspended for two incidents of disorderly conduct at the museum in recent weeks. He received a letter on Friday informing him about the action, but he arrived at the museum Saturday to view a film.
At a news conference on Saturday, John Miller, NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence & Counterterrorism said that he became angry about being denied entry and then jumped up over the reception desk to attack and stab two museum employees multiple times.
After the attack, the museum evacuated its patrons and was closed while Cabana was at large. It reopened Tuesday.
The museum released a statement Tuesday morning saying that they were relieved and grateful for the arrest of the attacker.
