A South Ozone Park man was sentenced to 18 years in prison on Thursday for a collision in February 2023 that severely injured and eventually killed a Richmond Hill resident who tried to stop him from stealing his car.
Mahindra Hansraj, 19, of 135th Avenue, pleaded guilty on Sept. 4 to manslaughter in the first degree in satisfaction of the charges against him in the death of Tauree Thompson.
According to the charges, on the night of Feb. 20, 2023, Hansraj and two others were in the vicinity of 104-21 Lefferts Blvd. in South Ozone Park at the same time Thompson was standing near his 2006 Lexus RX, with its doors unlocked and engine running. Hansraj jumped into the driver’s seat of the vehicle and his two companions joined him in the car. Thompson jumped onto the roof of his vehicle in an attempt to stop the theft. Hansraj sped away down Lefferts Boulevard with Thompson still on the roof and drove through a red light and swerved back and forth until he crashed into a fire hydrant. The impact of the collision caused Thompson to be thrown from the vehicle onto the pavement.
The victim sustained a traumatic brain injury and remained in a coma for eleven months until his death in January 2024. The medical examiner determined his death was caused by remote blunt force injuries suffered during the collision.
“The defendant thought he could get away with a brazen car theft and was undeterred even with the vehicle’s owner clinging to the automobile’s roof,” Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “His reckless actions led to the death of 29-year-old Tauree Thompson.”
Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth Holder sentenced Hansraj to 18 years imprisonment to be followed by five years of post-release supervision.
“We hope today’s sentence brings a measure of comfort to Thompson’s loved ones as they continue to mourn his senseless loss,” Katz said.
