Man Who Slashed Cop's Face With Meat Cleaver Charged With Attempted Murder

CHELSEA, NY — The man who slashed a police officer's face with a meat cleaver in Chelsea last month was charged with attempted murder and assault, among other charges, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. said Tuesday.

Akram Joudeh, a 32-year-old Queens resident, allegedly sliced an off-duty police officer across the face with a meat cleaver at around 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 15. Police said they responded by firing 18 shots, a few of which hit Joudeh.

"Akram Joudeh is accused of striking an NYPD Detective with a large meat cleaver in an attempt to evade arrest," said Vance. "I thank the members of the NYPD who bravely pursued this defendant as he ran through Midtown with a deadly weapon. Because of their courage, Joudeh was stopped before he could harm anyone else."

A witness told the DA's office he saw Joudeh trying to cut a boot from his car's front wheel at the corner of Broadway and West 30th Street, according to court documents. The witness called the police, and officers Robert Moti and Douglas La Penta tried to arrest Joudeh for damaging the boot. He ran away from the police, waving the meat cleaver, toward West 32nd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues. There, off-duty detective Brian O'Donnell tried to stop Joudeh, and Joudeh slashed him in the face with the cleaver.

O'Donnell suffered a six-inch gash to the face from Joudeh's 11-inch cleaver which required surgery, police said. Joudeh was in "critical but stable condition" after the incident, the NYPD said.

The altercation closed off 32nd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues for more than an hour on Sept. 15, causing mayhem in downtown Manhattan during rush hour.

Photo credit: Sarah Kaufman/Patch