A 21-year-old man has been arrested and charged with attempted murder after allegedly firing a gun several times at two cops sitting inside their police car in Far Rockaway last week, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced on Wednesday.
Kane Motta, who lives in Arverne, was also charged with attempted assault in the first degree, criminal possession of a weapon, and assault in the second degree, Katz said. If convicted, Motta faces between 20 years to life and a maximum sentence of 40 years to life in prison.
On Sunday, May 31, around 11:30 p.m., Motta was seen on surveillance video grabbing a gun from the wheel well of a car parked near Beach 66th Street, according to Katz.
Moments later, Motta was seen wandering the area, stopping in a lot that had a clear site line to where the two officers, Fawad Khan and Mark Beneducci, were parked in front of 531 Beach 66th St., according to the charges.
After the shots are fired, Motta can be seen running away from the scene, according to Katz. The NYPD later found gun casings in the lot Motta was standing in at the time of the shooting, the DA said.
While two shots hit the rear of the police car, beyond some hearing loss, neither officer was injured, according to the charges.
The shooting was unrelated to the weekend’s protests over the killing of George Floyd, who died after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin pressed his knee into Floyd’s neck for over eight minutes.
Motta is scheduled to next appear in court on July 2.
