NEW YORK – The New York Police Department said eight people were killed and 11 were injured Tuesday in an attack in lower Manhattan.

Police said a truck drove through a crowd on a bike path near the World Trade Center memorial in lower Manhattan.

NBC News reports at least eight people have been killed and 11 more are injured.

The police department posted on its Twitter feed that one person was in custody. New York police said the suspect is a 29-year-old man.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio called the attack "an act of terror."

Officials said the "cowardly" attack targeted "innocent civilians" on the bike path.

Officials confirmed a man driving a rented pickup truck drove down a popular bike path and struck several pedestrians and cyclists.

After the colliding with several vehicles, the driver exited the pickup truck screaming and armed with what appeared to be a firearm. He was shot by police and taken into custody.

Police said the man was armed with two fake guns, perhaps BB guns or paint guns.

A large number of police vehicles responded to the scene near West Street and Chambers Street, which is near a community college, a high school and a few blocks north of the National Sept. 11 Memorial.

NYPD update

NYPD and other New York officials provided a live update on the attack around 5:20 p.m. Tuesday. You can watch the update here:

Here is the original breaking news report from NBC News: