Press Release

Anchorage Man Convicted of Attempted Murder on Police Officer

January 8, 2015

On Thursday, January 8, 2015, following a six day trial, an Anchorage jury convicted 25 year old Frank Sambrano of Attempted Murder in the First Degree on a police officer. The conviction stems from an incident that occurred in June 2014.

The evidence at trial showed that Sambrano had recently returned to Anchorage and was living with family members. One of his family members called the police for a disturbance involving Sambrano and another man. Anchorage Police arrived at the home and contacted Sambrano. The police told Sambrano he needed to leave the residence to cool off or he would be arrested for disorderly conduct. Sambrano refused to leave.

A police officer then informed Sambrano that he need to put his hands behind his back. Sambrano responded by pulling out a steak knife and then swung the knife at the officer's head and neck. The officer was able to avoid being stabbed but Sambrano did cause a tear in the officer's uniform. Other officers observed Sambrano's attack and were able to detain Sambrano and prevent any injury.

The jury heard three days of testimony and deliberated over the course of two days. The jury convicted Sambrano of attempted murder in the first degree and attempted assault in the first degree. Superior Court Judge Phillip Volland will sentence Sambrano on May 8, 2015. Sambrano faces a sentence of up to 99 years. Sambrano has been previously convicted of 17 misdemeanor offenses in Alaska, including seven assault convictions.

CONTACT: Deputy District Attorney Clint Campion @ (907) 269-6300 or clint.campion@alaska.gov at the Anchorage District Attorney’s Office.

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Department Media Contacts: Communications Director Patty Sullivan at patty.sullivan@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6368. Information Officer Sam Curtis at sam.curtis@alaska.gov or (907) 269-6269.