Police in New York City are looking for a man who allegedly slashed two people in a dispute by The Black Ant restaurant.
It happened at about 11:30 p.m. Friday by 60 2nd Avenue in Manhattan, cops said. The suspect injured a 36-year-old person, and a 33-year-old. Incidentally, that 36-year-old is actress Spencer Grammer, who plays Summer Smith on the dark comedy animated series Rick and Morty. She and friend Jan Mueller were eating at a patio of The Black Ant restaurant when an intoxicated man demanded to be served, said sources for The New York Daily News. Employees of the establishment turned him down, and the suspect started an argument, according to the story.
Grammer and Mueller tried to intervene, but were reportedly caught up in the escalating dispute. She was screaming at “everyone to stop fighting,” but realized she was bleeding, a witness told the outlet. Police sources said she initially thought she had been hit by a chair. The actress had sustained a wound to the forearm, while Mueller was slashed in the back. They were treated and released from Bellevue Hospital.
The suspect reportedly fled.
“My friend and I did what anyone else would do in the same situation,” Spencer Grammer said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE. “Several others, predominantly women, were also attempting to prevent the altercation from escalating. I sustained a laceration on my arm, and my friend was stabbed in the back, but thankfully he suffered no serious internal injuries. We expect to recover quickly. We want to thank the first responders and the staff at Bellevue Hospital, who provided us with excellent care. They fought an incredible battle this year. It was very moving for us to have the opportunity to thank them in person.”
Police used the word “slashed” to describe the attack, but the actress’s father, actor Kelsey Grammer, contradicted this.
“There are elements of truth to the story but Spencer was not slashed,” he told PEOPLE. “She is fine.”
In any case, police ask that anyone with information about the suspect DM their @NYPDTips account, or call 800-577-TIPS.
[Image of Spencer Grammer via Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb; Rick and Morty screengrab via Adult Swim]