The Moment Cops Use A Taser To Take Down Man With A Knife: See Video

YONKERS, NY — Police say an essential piece of equipment helped defuse a potentially deadly situation.

Just after 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, a Yonkers man brandished a large kitchen knife on North Broadway and began walking toward the busy Getty Square area which was filled with pedestrians at the time, according to police.

Two officers spotted the man, later identified as 41-year-old Curtis Greene, and ordered him to drop his knife.

As Greene continued walking towards Getty Square, he also continued to ignore officers' orders to drop the knife, police said.

Two of the officers eventually deployed their Tasers, causing him to drop the knife while falling to the ground. Officers rushed to secure the knife and apprehend Greene who continued to struggle before being placed under arrest.

Greene was charged with criminal possession of a weapon, menacing a police officer, resisting arrest, obstruction of governmental administration, and assault for injuries he caused to one of the officers while struggling after being disarmed, authorities said.

"There were no injuries to Greene or to the public as a result of this incident — but this could have ended very differently," the Yonkers Police Department said in a statement accompanying the release of the video. "When we equip our Officers with the best tools and provide them with the best training, we create opportunities for intense and dangerous situations to be resolved in ways that are better than expected for all involved."