A Manhattan man accused of stabbing an off-duty NYPD officer who confronted him during a car break-in in Lindenhurst has pleaded guilty to attempted assault and is awaiting sentencing.
Royal T. Hooks, 28 at the time of his indictment, pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree assault, a Class E felony, on Sept. 1, 2026, according to New York State court records. He was originally charged with second-degree assault and theft following the October 2025 incident.
According to Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney, the incident began at approximately 1 a.m. on Oct. 9, 2025, when Hooks was allegedly walking along 40th Street in Lindenhurst, attempting to enter parked vehicles.
Two off-duty NYPD officers, who are related, spotted Hooks rummaging through a vehicle parked in their driveway. When they confronted him and ordered him to stop, Hooks fled on foot, prosecutors said.
The officers pursued him for several hundred yards, identifying themselves as police officers multiple times during the chase. When they caught up with Hooks, one officer again identified himself as a member of the NYPD and told him he was under arrest.
Prosecutors said Hooks then pulled out a knife and stabbed the officer in his left thigh. The two off-duty officers restrained Hooks until uniformed Suffolk County Police officers arrived and took him into custody.
The injured officer, 28, was transported to a hospital with a serious but non-life-threatening injury. Prosecutors said the wound required multiple stitches, and investigators recovered a bottle of cologne allegedly stolen from one of the vehicles along Hooks’ escape route.
Indictment, Bail and Guilty Plea
Hooks was arrested at the scene on Oct. 9, 2025, and subsequently indicted on charges of second-degree assault, a Class D violent felony, and misdemeanor theft.
On Oct. 21, 2025, he was arraigned before Acting Supreme Court Justice Steven A. Pilewski in Suffolk County Court. The judge set bail at $100,000 cash, $200,000 insured bond or $1 million partially secured surety bond.
Court records also contain a release-on-recognizance notation for that appearance, but do not establish whether Hooks posted bail or was subsequently released under different conditions.
Hooks initially pleaded not guilty and faced up to seven years in prison if convicted of the original felony assault charge.
On Sept. 1, 2026, court records show the second-degree assault charge was amended and Hooks pleaded guilty to attempted second-degree assault, a Class E felony. The misdemeanor theft charge is listed as covered by the plea rather than as a separate conviction.
The court’s appearance history also records Hooks as released on his own recognizance following the guilty plea. The publicly available records do not disclose the terms of any sentencing agreement.
Sentencing Scheduled
Hooks is scheduled to return to Suffolk County Court in Riverhead on Monday, Nov. 16, 2026, for a compliance and sentencing appearance before Judge Pilewski.
The court records do not indicate what sentence he is expected to receive. His case was prosecuted by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Major Crime Bureau following an investigation by the Suffolk County Police Department’s First Squad.
Photo: Google Maps view of 40th Street near Buffalo Avenue in Lindenhurst, where an off-duty NYPD officer was stabbed in October 2025. The exact location of the stabbing has not been publicly identified. (Google Maps)
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