Little Neck resident Yaspal Persaud was sentenced on Jan. 23 to 15 years in prison for kidnapping and attempting to strangle his estranged wife and evading police on a high-speed chase in 2021, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz.
Persaud, 29, was convicted by a jury in August following a nine-day trial before Queens Supreme Court Justice Michael Yavinsky on charges of kidnapping, strangulation, criminal contempt, harassment, menacing, criminal possession of a weapon and obstructing governmental administration.
According to the charges, on the morning of Dec. 24, 2020, police conducted a wellness check at the Persaud home on 58th Avenue in Little Neck upon the request of the mother of the victim, who is his estranged wife. Officers arrested Persaud when they learned he had repeatedly strangled the victim the previous night when she told him she was leaving him. In addition to his arrest, an order of protection was issued on his estranged wife’s behalf.
According to court testimony, on the morning of Jan. 22, 2022, Persaud waited in the parking lot of a CityMD office on Northern Boulevard near 192nd Street in Little Neck, where the victim worked, and stopped her as she arrived. In front of several people waiting to enter the medical office, Persaud confronted the victim as she walked to the front door with her office key. In violation of a prior order of protection, the defendant grabbed the victim and pushed her into the backseat of his car and then attempted to close the door while the victim repeatedly kicked it open. Persaud drove off with the victim’s legs hanging out the car door that was still ajar.
Persaud drove around in his black Mercedes-Benz for several hours with the victim in his car. The NYPD Technical Assistance Response Unit (TARU) was able to track the vehicle near the Grand Central Parkway at approximately noon. The defendant led the detectives on a high-speed pursuit and eventually evaded capture.
According to the testimony, Persaud then ditched the Mercedes-Benz and had a friend drive him and the victim to the Surfside Motel on Cross Bay Boulevard and 165th Avenue. TARU detectives tracked the cellphones of the defendant and the victim to the Howard Beach motel, and detectives from the 111th Precinct in Bayside moved in to rescue the victim and arrest Persaud.
“We have prosecuted domestic violence cases aggressively and will continue doing so,” Katz said. “Long prison sentences, however, such as the one imposed today, come after the physical harm has been done and the often permanent emotional damage has already been inflicted. I urge victims of domestic violence who need safety planning services, or help in securing an order of protection or shelter placement, to call us or to contact a Family Justice Center immediately.”
Justice Yavinsky imposed the determinate sentence of 15 years in prison to be followed by five years’ post-release supervision.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the DA’s DV Helpline at 718-286-4410. The line is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and you will have the option of connecting to an assistant district attorney or a service provider for assistance.
