In the incident, NYPD detective Brian O'Donnell suffered a gash to his face that required 70 stitches to repair.
Police responded when reports came in that Joudeh was trying to remove the boot by furiously swinging a hammer at it.
Off-duty Detective O'Donnell saw the subject fleeing the scene and attempted to apprehend him.
Joudeh—a Palestinian with a Jordanian passport—reportedly shouted "Allahu Akbar" as he slashed O'Donnell's face just before other responding officers opened fire on the attacker, wounding him.
Joudeh reportedly had 15 prior arrests—the United States was reportedly attempting to deport him, according to the
Post
.
Joudeh now faces up to 25 years in prison.