Another quick-thinking officer shot him in the chest and the first officer was not seriously injured.
In the video obtained by ABC News, the attacker lunges at a policeman with a hammer.
The attacker was shot in the thorax and one officer had minor injuries.
French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb spoke after the attack.
About 900 people were inside Notre Dame when the shooting occurred, Karine Dalle, the press officer for the Paris archdiocese, said in a text message, adding that they were "sitting calmly" and had been told about the event.
Collomb said the attacker was carrying kitchen knives and the identification card of an Algerian student.
French officials are treating the incident as a terror attack, the prosecutor's office said.
A police officer was killed on April 20 on Paris' Champs-Elysees avenue, another prestigious location visited by tourists. Last year, police foiled an attack near the site.
Virginia shooting suspect's wife addresses media
Earlier today, Congressman Steve Scalise underwent a second surgery related to his internal injuries and a broken bone in his leg. Lobbyist Matt Mika was struck multiple times in the chest is in serious condition at George Washington University Hospital.
PotVin-Gorman says she heard three gunshots before seeing the attacker, dressed in a blue jacket and blue jeans, lying on the ground about 30 meters (100 feet) outside the cathedral.
Shalane Sharples was walking toward Notre Dame Cathedral when she heard "some really loud bangs".
A man who attacked a police officer lies wounded on the esplanade of Notre Dame cathedral in Paris on Tuesday.
"A person came up behind the police officers, armed with a hammer, and started to hit the police officer", he said. However, thanks to the high-security alert, a lot of officers were patrolling the streets and the attacker was rendered harmless quickly.
Over an hour later, after authorities said police were attacked outside, visitors were told they would be evacuated in an orderly fashion.
Police warned tourists to stay away from the area as they continue their investigation.
Witnesses described a dramatic police operation in the tourist-filled area. He appeared to be acting alone. "I salute the courage, responsiveness, and the professionalism of the police, who prevented a tragedy".
France is still under the state of emergency imposed after the November 2015 attacks in Paris, when Islamic State jihadists killed 130 people in a night of carnage at venues across the city. Armed police sealed off the area.
Comments