New Yorker pleads guilty to stabbing child at restaurant arcade

(CBS/AP) - A man who allegedly attempted to stab a young boy to death at a Long Island video arcade pleaded guilty Wednesday to attempted murder in the second degree.

Evan Sachs, 23, was charged with attempted murder and assault for the October 2010 attack at a Dave & Buster's restaurant in Westbury, N.Y.

The boy, who is now 9, survived being stabbed 5 times in the back by a 4-inch hunting knife and was hospitalized with a collapsed lung.

Sachs, who worked as a movie theater usher, has been treated for psychological problems since he was 4, defense attorney Michael Soshnick said. "He is severely and chronically mentally ill," the lawyer said, although he said there was some disagreement among medical experts over whether Sachs was schizophrenic or was suffering from a bi-polar disorder.

According to his mother, Randi Sachs, the troubled 23-year-old never planned to survive the attack.

"My son was terribly unhappy and thought this was the only way to solve his problems," Randi Sachs said. "He expected to be killed in a hail of bullets. He didn't resist arrest, he didn't care about himself."

Police said Sachs had been stalking potential young victims at Long Island shopping malls for weeks before the stabbing. He was arrested moments after injuring the boy, who was playing video games at the time.

The boy's parents were only several feet away, but Sachs apparently waited until they were momentarily distracted to begin assaulting him, police said.

"I am very sorry. I would give anything to undo what I did," Sachs said in a Nassau County court.

A judge said he would sentence Sachs to 14 years in prison on Sept. 8.

More on Crimesider

October 12, 2010 - Restaurant Stabbing Suspect Was Hunting for a Child, Say N.Y. Police