Arizona federal prison inmate John Turscak, who allegedly stabbed former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin 22 times last week, was reportedly charged with attempted murder on Friday, according to CBS News.
Turscak, 52, was reportedly identified by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. He allegedly stabbed Chauvin 22 times with an improvised knife, and allegedly admitting to corrections officers that he would have killed the ex-police officer if they had not responded so quickly, according to CBS News. (RELATED: REPORT: Derek Chauvin Stabbed In Prison)
In addition to attempted murder, Turscak is also being charged with assault with intent to commit murder, assault with a dangerous weapon, and assault resulting in serious bodily injury, the outlet reported.
Turscak, who is an incarcerated former gang member and ex FBI informant, is serving a 30-year sentence at the federal prison for crimes committed during his time with a Mexican Mafia gang, the Associated Press reported. Turscak allegedly told investigators that he thought about attacking Chauvin for roughly a month due to his high status after his conviction in the George Floyd case, the outlet reported.
Derek Chauvin was stabbed 22 times by federal inmate as new details of prison attack emerge https://t.co/u9XGzzxh2I pic.twitter.com/vZhFWIKeSo
— New York Post (@nypost) December 1, 2023
Prosecutors reportedly stated that the former gang member said that he attacked Chauvin on “Black Friday,” symbolizing a connection to the Black Lives Matter movement, and “Black Hand” which is also associated with the Mexican Mafia, according to the AP. (RELATED: ‘We Have Not Heard Back’: Derek Chauvin’s Mother Says Son’s Stabbing Was ‘Allowed To Happen’)
However, Turscak later allegedly denied telling corrections officers that he intentionally wanted to kill Chauvin, reportedly telling FBI agents that he only targeted Chauvin because he is a high-profile inmate, but never wanted to kill him, according to CBS News.
Chauvin was severely injured on Nov. 24 while in the law library at the Federal Correctional Institution in Tucson, Arizona, according to the AP. The Bureau of Prisons stated that employees performed “life-saving measures” on Chauvin after stopping the attack, the outlet stated.
Following the stabbing, Chauvin was taken to the hospital and is reported be in stable condition, CBS noted.