Originally Published: 19 JAN 24 22:06 ET

By Zenebou Sylla, CNN

(CNN) — A New York man pleaded not guilty Friday to attempted murder and other charges in what police have claimed was a mostly unprovoked series of stabbings across the city this week.

Jermain Rigueur, 27, was arraigned Friday afternoon in connection to what the Queens District Attorney’s Office said were five random and mostly unprovoked stabbings in Queens.

“New Yorkers peacefully going about their business very nearly lost their lives in unprovoked knife attacks. We will not allow people to be targets of random violence without consequences,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a news release. “I applaud the NYPD for quickly taking the defendant into custody, enabling us to prosecute him on multiple counts of attempted murder.”

Rigueur, who has no prior criminal convictions, pleaded not guilty Friday to a 19-count complaint, his attorney Arthur Edwards told CNN.

Rigueur was arrested Thursday, and police said they were still working to investigate whether charges would be added against him in another stabbing incident in Brooklyn.

Rigueur faces three counts of attempted murder in the second degree, three counts of assault in the first degree, attempted assault in the first degree, eight counts of assault in the second degree and four counts of criminal possession of a weapon in the fourth degree, according to a criminal complaint.

Edwards said Rigueur was an honor student and stands by his not guilty plea. Rigueur may face up to 90 years in prison if convicted, the district attorney’s office said.

“After all, the allegations here are rather sensational,” Edwards said. “We intend to zealously and vigorously defend Jermaine against these baseless charges, and hold the Queens DA to its quantum proof, which is proof beyond reasonable doubt. Based on our preliminary investigation, we believe the People will be unable to sustain these charges at trial.”

Rigueur was ordered to return to court on January 31.

Five random attacks

The stabbings happened over a nine-day period this month between midnight and 8:30 a.m. ET in southern Queens, NYPD Chief of Patrol John Chell said earlier this week.

The first attack happened on January 8 when a 61-year-old man was stabbed while walking, according to police.

The district attorney also said the attacks included a two-day stabbing spree in Queens, where four people were attacked, including three within an hour on Wednesday.

The most recent attack on Wednesday morning happened after a person and Rigueur allegedly got into a verbal dispute on a bus, according to NYPD Chief of Detectives Joe Kenny.

That same day a 71-year-old man and a 41-year-old man were stabbed minutes apart, both while walking, police said.

A woman who was walking home Tuesday was stabbed in the torso, police said. The man approached her from behind and then fled.

When Rigueur was apprehended, police said he was wearing the same clothing, sneakers and backpack he was seen in during previous incidents.

Police said Rigueur was also wearing the same distinctive lanyard displaying his work identification around his neck. The district attorney said a 6-inch Bowie knife and a blood-stained sweatshirt were also found during a search warrant.

The-CNN-Wire