This photo provided by NYPD, New York City Police Commissioner Keechant Sewell address the media during a news conference on Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022. A man wielding a machete attacked three police officers at the New Year’s Eve celebration in New York City, authorities said, striking two of them in the head before an officer shot the man in the shoulder. The two officers were hospitalized, one with a fractured skull and the other with a bad cut, but expected to recover. (NYPD via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Police Department says a man accused of attacking police with a machete near Times Square on New Year’s Eve, injuring two officers, has been arrested on charges of attempting to murder officers. Nineteen-year-old Trevor Bickford of Wells, Maine, was awaiting arraignment after his arrest Monday. It isn’t immediately clear whether he has a lawyer who can speak to the allegations. A law enforcement official has told The Associated Press that investigators are looking into whether Bickford was inspired by Islamic extremism. The official could not publicly discuss details about the ongoing investigation and spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity.