Man pleads guilty in New Year's Eve machete attack on officers near Times Square
NEW YORK (WABC) -- A man pleaded guilty Thursday to charges stemming from a New Year's Eve knife attack on three NYPD officers manning a checkpoint on the Times Square periphery.
Bickford, 20, pleaded guilty to attempted murder charges, admitting he tried to kill three NYPD officers on New Years Eve.
Bickford pleaded guilty to six of the seven counts in his federal indictment, including attempted murder of officers of the U.S. government.
The federal charges carry a potential penalty of up to 120 years in prison and his sentencing is set for April 11.
"On Dec. 31, 2022, I attempted to kill three NYPD officers with a knife while they were working in Manhattan," Bickford told the judge. "I know what I did was wrong and I'm sorry."
Bickford told Judge P. Kevin Castel that that he was pleading guilty without any kind of agreement with prosecutors.
Bickford said he was taking three medications for treatment of schizoaffective disorder.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Kushner told the judge that evidence in the case included the foot-long machete as well as post-arrest statements in which Bickford left "no doubt" that he attacked the officers because they were military-age men.
After the plea, Bickford was returned to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
The Manhattan district attorney's office separately charged Bickford in state court with attempted murder and terrorism-related crimes over the attack. That case is ongoing.
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