Penn Station Meat Cleaver Attacker Convicted, DA Says

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — A man who attacked an NYPD officer with a meat cleaver outside Penn Station in 2016 — resulting in the man being shot by police — is facing prison time after being convicted of all counts brought agaisnt him, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced.

Akram Joudeh, 34, was found guilty of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, menacing a police officer and criminal weapons charges, prosecutors announced. He is expected to receive his prison sentence on Dec. 6, prosecutors said.

"Today, Akram Joudeh was convicted of a brutal attack on an off-duty NYPD detective who jumped into action as the defendant ran through midtown during rush hour with a meat cleaver in hand," Vance said in a statement. "Thanks to the bravery of both the detective and his fellow officers, no one else was hurt. I thank the jurors for their service, and my Office’s prosecutors for their dedicated work on the case."

On Sept. 15, 2016, Joudeh called the police after attempting to remove an immobilization boot from his car on the corner of Broadway and West 30th Street, prosecutors said. When police arrived and attempted to arrest the man for damaging the boot, he grabbed a cleaver and attempted to run away, prosecutors said.

When an off-duty officer attempted to stop Joudeh in front of Penn Station, the man struck the officer in the head with the cleaver, prosecutors said. Police shot at Joudeh after the attack, firing 18 bullets the New York City Police Department said at the time.

The off-duty officer suffered a six-inch gash to the face from Joudeh's 11-inch cleaver, police said. The officer was hospitalized in "serious condition" at the hospital with a "very significant" head injury, outgoing NYPD Commission Bill Bratton said in 2016 at one of his last on-scene press conference as commissioner.

Joudeh survive his gunshot wounds after being taken to the hospital in "critical but stable condition," Bratton said in 2016.

Read Patch's complete coverage of the cleaver attack from 2016.

Photo by NYPD