A man was convicted on assault charges in the stabbing of an Anchorage police officer and for attempting to stab two others in 2012, state prosecutors said Tuesday.
An Anchorage jury found Edward Thompson, 54, guilty of first-degree assault and two counts of first-degree attempted assault. The charges stemmed from a June 2012 incident in which Thompson pulled a knife on three Anchorage police officers during a search, injuring one of them.
In a written statement, Assistant District Attorney Daniel Shorey said the three police officers Thompson attacked were responding to a call about a “disturbance possibly involving a gun” at 1400 W. 25th Ave. around 2 a.m. on June 18, 2012.
When the officers — Keo Fujimoto, Nathan Keays and George Vrablik — found Thompson in a parking lot and tried to pat him down for weapons, Thompson stabbed Fujimoto in the leg with a folding knife and wounded him in the forehead. He also slashed through Keays’ ballistic vest, near the neck.
While the officers were trying to subdue him, Thompson tried to stab Vrablik as well, the district attorney’s office said.
“The treating surgeon testified that Officer Fujimoto was very lucky given the seriousness of the conduct and the injury,” prosecutors wrote.
Thompson faces up to 40 years in prison, a fine of up to $450,000, or both, the DA’s office said. His sentencing has been scheduled for Aug. 30.
He has eight prior felony convictions.