Man pleads guilty in 2020 attack on NYC police officers

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who stabbed a New York City police officer and wounded two other officers in 2020, during the time of the George Floyd protests, pleaded guilty in state court Wednesday to aggravated assault and other charges.

Dzenan Camovic, a 22-year-old Bosnian national, faces up to 30 years in prison when he is sentenced in August, said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.

Authorities said Camovic approached Officer Yayonfrant Jean Pierre from behind and stabbed him on the night of June 3, 2020, hours after a curfew had been in put in place due to the days of mass protests and some unrest around Floyd’s murder by police in Minnesota.

Camovic grabbed the officer’s gun and shot at another officer on the scene, as well as at police who arrived, injuring two officers in their hands, authorities said. All of the officers recovered. Camovic was also wounded.

In a statement, Gonzalez said, “This case highlights the incredible dangers faced by police officers working to protect our neighborhoods, and we have no tolerance for anyone who attempts to do them harm.”

Camovic’s plea came a day after he pleaded guilty in federal court for taking the gun of the stabbed officer and using it to fire at other officers, for which he faces a 30-year federal prison sentence that would run concurrently with the state sentence.

His attorney, Robert Stahl said in an email, “With the pleas in federal and state court Dzenan has accepted responsibility and thanks his family for their support throughout this ordeal.”

Federal authorities said Camovic, a native of Bosnia who is in the United States without legal authorization, will be deported after his sentence.