Black Lives Matter protesters in Queens were threatened by a driver armed with knives. The man reportedly yelled about something being thrown at his vehicle, which the protesters denied.
A man who was seen on video last year charging protesters in New York City while wearing a glove with four long, serrated-edged blades has been indicted on attempted murder charges, the Queens district attorney said Wednesday.
People were peacefully gathering on the overpass above the Cross Island Parkway in June 2020 when Frank Cavalluzzi, 55, jumped out of a vehicle, shouting “I will kill you,” and chasing protesters while wearing a "glove of blades," a press release from the office of District Attorney Melinda Katz said.
He then got back into his vehicle and drove on a sidewalk, nearly running over the demonstrators, officials said.
“The defendant in this case became enraged when he spotted Black Lives
Matter protesters demonstrating in the neighborhood. The moments that followed were sheer terror for the victims," Katz said.
However, no one was injured in the incident.
Demonstrators protesting over the death of George Floyd had been in the area hanging up Black Lives Matter signs and rallying after someone was caught on camera ripping one down at the location, the New York Post reported. Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee onto the back of Floyd's neck. The trial for that former officer is ongoing.
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Cavalluzzi turned himself last year but he was arraigned on Wednesday on 39 counts of charges that range from second-degree attempted murder, multiple degrees of attempted assault, reckless endangerment, weapons and reckless driving. He faces up to 25 years in prison for each victim, if he's convicted.
