Buffalo man pleads guilty to assaulting police officer

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A Buffalo man has pleaded guilty to his role in an incident that injured a Tonawanda police officer last year.

Dareious T. Akbar, 20, pleaded guilty in Erie County Court to two counts of first-degree assault, one count of assault on a police officer, one count of third-degree criminal possession of stolen property and one count of third-degree unauthorized use of a motor vehicle.

The incident occurred on May 29, 2023. According to investigators, Tonawanda police officers attempted to stop a vehicle that allegedly ran a red light at the intersection of Sheridan Drive and Sheridan-Parkside Drive. Police say the vehicle, a 2019 Kia Sportage, was reported stolen in the Village of East Aurora earlier that day.

Akbar, who allegedly drove the stolen vehicle, fled the scene. One of the officers, Constable David Piatek, was dragged by the vehicle. Piatek was transported by ambulance to the ECMC Control and Monitoring Center with several injuries, including a head injury.

Today, the defendant pleaded guilty to two counts of assault under different legal theories, for acting in a reckless manner, displaying a depraved indifference to human life, and causing serious physical injury to the victim in the commission of a felony.

The prosecutor’s office said the judge in charge of the case, the Honorable Kenneth Case, issued a written decision on June 6, 2024, dismissing one count of attempted first-degree murder, one count of aggravated assault on a police officer and one count of first-degree assault. The prosecutor’s office said it is appealing that decision.

Akbar faces up to 25 years in prison when he is sentenced in October. He remains in custody without the possibility of bail.