NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Niagara County District Attorney's Office announced that 29-year-old Reginald Barnes pleaded guilty to attempted aggravated assault on a police officer in Niagara County Court on Tuesday.
Niagara Falls police previously provided information on the incident which occurred in June 2022.
According to police, officers responded to a call for a suspicious person behind the Rite Aid at 80th Street and Niagara Falls Blvd. When officers approached Barnes, he tried to get away and officers then used a taser, which they said had no effect. Police said Barnes then pulled a knife from his pocket, charged at officers, and stabbed an officer in his back. He then attacked a second officer before another responding officer shot him.
Barnes was taken to ECMC and was initially in the ICU. He has since been released. The officer who was stabbed had minor injuries to his back and arm.
The district attorney's office announced in July 2022 that the officers who shot Barnes would not face any charges and said a Niagara County grand jury determined that the officers "were justified in their use of force."
According to the district attorney's office, County Court Judge John Ottaviano promised to sentence Barnes to 16 years in prison.
“But for the actions of a concerned citizen and Niagara Falls Police Officers this incident could have ended much differently. The defendant was approaching the back yard of a person for whom an order of protection had previously been issued, and he was armed with a knife. When police attempted to place him under arrest for violating the order of protection, the defendant stabbed an officer in the back, then lunged at another officer. Luckily the officers were wearing body armor and were not injured. Our law enforcement officers face dangers daily in protecting the community. The promised sentence in this case reflects the seriousness of attacking a police officer.”
